When Doves Cry
by trichloroethane
Summary: Daisuke and Satoshi's relationship is on the rocks. Tension builds up between the two and...? Yaoi.
1. When Doves Cry

**When Doves Cry: **

Disclaimer: DN Angel does not belong to me, and 'When Doves Cry' belongs to Quindon Tarver. Sorry, folks.

Warnings: Hints of shounen-ai, emotional scenes and some mention of homosexual relationships.

Labels: Angst, yaoi, language, AU in a way, OOC (bastardized Satoshi), mentions of rape and violence

A/N: Just had to get this out of my system. It's very, very different from all my other fanfics.

_

* * *

How can you leave me standing _

_Alone in a world that's so cold?_

Daisuke sat alone in the large sofa. He sighed and stared unseeingly at the TV, his thoughts on something much more serious that the programme. He thought of the events of the past seven years. Dark and Krad had both gone back to sleep after he and Satoshi had confessed their feelings for each other. They'd gotten married after graduating from college and at that time, everyone had still been alive. Emiko had blessed them after seeing the extent of their love back then whilst Kosuke and Daikii had accepted the relationship from Day 1. Even Dark and Krad had accepted it-their disappearances from their respective tamers were proof of that. Now…though…something had gone wrong. Daisuke remembered the way things had started to fall apart. Around a year after their marriage, Satoshi had started to turn away from him when they slept. The redhead hadn't made a big fuss about it back then; he thought it was just the way Satoshi wanted to be. Then the other man had started to come home at later and later times. Before, he'd always made sure to come home before 11:00pm. Then it had slowly become 12. Then one. Daisuke soon gave up waiting for his husband to come home and as a result they rarely talked to each other in the evening. It had almost become a ritual; Daisuke would leave the dinner he'd prepared out on the table and go to bed. Satoshi would come home, reheat the food and eat in solitary silence. Then things had taken a turn for the worse; Satoshi began to drink. At first, it hadn't been very noticeable-Daisuke hadn't realised until his husband came home barely able to stand up.

He'd started to ask questions; what was wrong, what had happened, so on and so forth. Unfortunately, Satoshi passed out before Daisuke could get a decent answer. The redhead took care of his husband that night and asked the same questions the next day. Satoshi merely replied that he'd gotten carried away at the bar with his colleagues and Daisuke had shrugged off the reply as a perfectly normal one. After all, it had been the first time that Satoshi had actually come home so obviously stoned out of his mind.

This had continued, but Daisuke pretended to ignore it. He always told himself that Satoshi was fine, that he knew how to take care of himself. The bluenette continued to show small signs of affection towards Daisuke, but no longer in public. Gone were the warm glances, the slight touches, the small smiles that were only reserved for him. At times, Daisuke felt like a totally invisible person to Satoshi.

That wasn't the worst part though. After Daisuke had begged for Satoshi to come home earlier, the detective had shouted at him for being such a nag. It was the first time he had screamed at Daisuke angrily and the redhead, needless to say, was terrified. This happened time and time again, Daisuke always telling himself that it was the alcohol speaking. Besides, Satoshi would always wake up in the morning and beg forgiveness from Daisuke. Being the kind person that he was, Daisuke could not refuse it. Satoshi always promised not to drink anymore. He always promised to come back home earlier. But it never happened.

Outside, rain poured down on the streets of Azumano. A roll of thunder sounded in the distance and Daisuke looked out of it, a sad look in his eyes. Dark was no longer around to talk to him, help him, advise him. _What do I do? _There was no one left to go to. A car crash had killed his parents two years after graduation and Daikii had passed on. Wiz had disappeared as well. Daisuke was alone.

The door crashed open. The redhead stood up and quickly went for it, hoping that Satoshi's drunken state would soon leave him senseless. What met his eyes was far from what he hoped. Satoshi stood in the doorway, eyes blazing. Daisuke had never seen this much emotion from him as the day Krad had taken over. His mind numbed with shock, he never saw it coming. A searing pain, and he hit the floor. "Wha..?"

Satoshi didn't reply, just kept hitting. Daisuke forced himself to roll over so that he wouldn't get injured and tried to stop the angry detective's blows. "Please stop, Satoshi! Please!"

The blue-eyed man didn't stop. He continued to lash out, each blow meeting its mark as the redhead screamed. No one heard the noise. _What…Satoshi…pain…_Daisuke slowly felt himself sink into unconsciousness for the first time in his life.

**Next morning: **

Daisuke opened his eyes, ruby red faintly glowing in the dimly lit room. His body, arm and face especially, ached. _What happened…? _Then he remembered. Eyes widened in horror as he registered Satoshi's presence in the bathroom doorway. He was still on the floor, he noticed, and Satoshi was coming over. He hoped that the alcohol had worn off.

Satoshi stared down at Daisuke lying prone on the floor. Icy blue met sorrowful red. Then the ice melted and Satoshi sank to his knees, next to Daisuke. "What did I do?" He whispered. His fingers traced over the bruises. "Who did this?"

With a sinking feeling in his heart, Daisuke slowly asked, "You don't remember?" Satoshi stared at the bruises for a moment, blue eyes narrowing. Then…they widened in even more horror than previously. Scenes flashed through the bluenette's head as memories of the previous night came back. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry." Daisuke sighed. He was tired of it all-the apologies, the yells, the loneliness.

"Every time it happens, you say that. Every time. You promise me time and time again that you'll never drink again, but you're not stopping. You come home at God knows what time, you yell at me when I ask you simple questions. What happened, Satoshi? What happened?"

_Maybe I'm just too demanding,_

_Maybe I'm just like my father too bold. _

_Maybe I'm just like my mother_

_She's never satisfied._

Satoshi could only listen numbly, his body in shock. "I don't know…" he said, more to himself than Daisuke. Truth be told, he was tired. He was restless. The life that he had led with Kaitou Dark and Krad Hikari around had not prepared him for a life of peace. He didn't know what happened. Then someone had introduced him to alcohol. It had been all right at first. Then he'd started craving more of it when he discovered the pleasantly numbed feeling that it gave him. For a while, he could escape the dullness of life.

"You don't know." Repeated Daisuke tiredly. He was still on the floor. Satoshi felt tears prick his eyes. _I'm so sorry, so sorry…so sorry. _

Daisuke sighed. Then he looked at his lover's face and his anger melted away. "Look, let's try and make this better. Let's try and make things better from now on, okay?"

Satoshi nodded almost eagerly, willing to try anything that made Daisuke happy. He wanted to see a smile on his redhead's face again. He wanted to make him laugh. The redhead looked at him, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Help me off the ground again then, will you please? It's not very comfortable here." Satoshi felt his lips quirk upwards and with no warning, he swept the other man up in his arms. "Ah!" Daisuke felt himself begin to laugh as he say some of the old joy and life return into Satoshi's eyes. The blue haired man carried him to the sofa and gently set him down there.

"Wait here, Daisuke. I'll be back with the bandages and stuff," Satoshi told his lover sternly. "And don't try to move."

Daisuke giggled. It had been a long time since he'd felt this happy with Satoshi around. Outside, the sun shone feebly, trying to outdo the clouds. It didn't succeed.

For a while, things got better for the couple. Satoshi was trying to be more relaxed now, trying to avoid alcohol. The pair would often go out to the park, or to a café in the mall. Daisuke hoped that they would continue to improve. Throughout the week, Satoshi would make it a point to call Daisuke at his job at least once a day, if not more. Of course, Daisuke did the same. They had to be very careful though; once Daisuke had said 'I love you sweetie' jokingly, and Satoshi had been forced to tell him that he was on speakerphone. Needless to say, Daisuke now started most (actually, all) of his calls with, "Am I on speakerphone?" However, two weeks after, things went downhill again.

Satoshi had been having an extremely bad day. First of all, he'd been flirted with more than four times with the secretary Anna. He'd told her that he wasn't interested and she had responded by telling the whole staff that their 'oh-so-high-and-mighty Commander' was gay. There were a few homophobes in the office and they had stormed into his office in the middle of a very important meeting, demanding that he be fired. He'd had to forcibly remove them all from the office and the Board wasn't impressed. Next, he'd spilled coffee down the front of his white shirt right before another important lunch meeting and had had to sit in front of his bosses with a stained shirt. Then Anna had asked him to help her with a problem on the computer. Satoshi had walked into her office and suddenly found himself pinned to the wall by a very…amorous…blonde. After escaping (but not before being caught by Sam in a very compromising position), he'd finally gotten something done and at the end of the day, he realised that he still hadn't called Daisuke. He felt a tug from his body, telling him to go get just one little shot. Just one shot wouldn't do any harm, would it? He exited the office and headed straight for the bar, determined to have just one drink. It couldn't hurt, could it? Phone call completely forgotten, the blue-eyed boy headed out to the pub that he had once frequented.

Daisuke eyed the phone as he packed up his things and put on his coat. Part of him hoped that Satoshi would suddenly call at the last minute and then apologise profusely before Daisuke cut him off with a laugh. It didn't happen though and the redhead was left to return home without any inner warmth.

Daisuke returned home to find the house empty. _I hope he's just working late, _the boy thought worriedly. _Although it doesn't seem like him to forget to tell me that he's coming home late. This time, anyway. _Two hours later, Daisuke looked at the clock and frowned slightly. It was 11 and Satoshi still wasn't home. _I hope he hasn't gone drinking again, _he thought worriedly.

Daisuke shot a worried glance up at the clock and then at the door for the nth time, but was not greeted by his lover. Instead, only silence remained there to surround him. At 1am, just when he was about to give up and go to bed, the door crashed open again. The whole scene was eerily reminiscent of the other night-Daisuke standing at the door in shock, Satoshi standing at the doorway reeking of strong spirits and darkness outside. "Satoshi!" Daisuke cried, not sure whether he was relieved or angry.

Instead of his usual grunt (which happened if he was drunk), Satoshi approached Daisuke menacingly. "Angry?" he slurred. "How unlike you." Daisuke's eyes widened and he shook his head frantically. ""No?" the azure haired boy asked almost mockingly. The alcohol was strong on his breath and he was standing close enough to Daisuke for the redhead to smell it. Daisuke was scared, but angry and hurt at the same time.

"Why did you do this?" he whispered quietly (although loudly enough for the detective to hear). "Why did you go back to before?"

Satoshi glared at him through bleary, wine-reddened eyes. "You know what?" the man screamed. "You know what? You make me sick! Sick of your attitude, your constant attempts to mother me, you're forever following me around! You think I can't take care of myself? Do you?" At these last words, he grabbed Daisuke's shoulders and shook the poor redhead hard.

Daisuke shut his eyes, praying for the moment to stop, praying that it was all just a dream, praying that he would jolt awake and realise that he was lying in bed with Satoshi hugging him. To his horror, the nightmare had only just begun. Satoshi smashed his fist into his cheek and Daisuke was left on the floor, staring up at his onetime lover in horror. A tiny spark of anger slowly channelled itself into a bright flame and began to burn. Satoshi's fist descended again, but this time Daisuke was ready for the blow. The ex-thief rolled out of harm's way and made a fast dash for the door. Unfortunately, he was blocked by Satoshi.

"Stop it!" Daisuke screamed desperately. At that moment, he wished that Dark was still in him. _Come on. You have to protect yourself. _Daisuke blocked another of Satoshi's blows. "Stop it Satoshi! Just…just stop it!"

The blue-eyed boy eyed him. _For someone who's meant to be drunk, he's fricking fast, _the redhead thought. "All right," Satoshi said, holding up both hands. His eyes still glinted mockingly in the garish lamplight, though. "All right. Let's…talk." Daisuke tried his best not to scream and stared at Satoshi, determined to look brave.

Within the blink of an eye, Satoshi was directly in front of his husband and he seemed to grow taller and more threatening. Daisuke prayed that tonight would not come to any more blows.

"Satoshi, I think you should-" Daisuke was cut off by the detective's angry outburst.

"You think? Think what? All my life people have been telling me what to do with my life! I'm sick of it!" He would have continued, had Daisuke not cut him off.

"Satoshi, I'm not trying to boss you around, I'm just—"

"Just what? You really couldn't care less, could you? You'd probably have dumped me if I lost my job, if I hadn't had the looks that—"

Daisuke was horrified and shocked at the same time. "Satoshi, you know I love you!"

"Do you, Dai-chan? Do you?" The blue-eyed boy paced forward, looking incredibly sober for someone who had been swaying on their feet only a few moments ago.

Daisuke nodded hard. "Hn." A smirk twisted Satoshi's lips and his face became almost cruel. "So…could I do this…?" Daisuke could barely register the words before he found himself pinned to the couch painfully. _What…? _He felt hot lips descend upon his roughly, a tongue forcing its way into his mouth. And then…darkness.

**Two days later: **

Daisuke sat on the bed, staring at nothing. Satoshi was out again. It was late evening. The doorbell suddenly rang and the crimson haired boy got up and painfully shuffled over to the door, praying that it wasn't Satoshi. The blue-eyed boy had been apologetic and shown all the 'normal emotions' i.e. sadness etc. He'd apologised over and over again, but it wasn't enough to convince Daisuke. _And here I was, thinking that you could never be raped by your own husband. _

He opened the door to see Kenji, one of his colleagues. The man looked at him worriedly, soft brown eyes crinkling. "Daisuke, what happened? Are you all right? You haven't been to work for two days!"

Dully, Daisuke remembered the events of the past two days. He hadn't done much, just wandered around the house in a sort of half-daze. Whenever Satoshi had come home, the detective cooked dinner for both of them and they just sat there on the couch. Satoshi had been desperate to make amends; he'd cooked all of Daisuke's favourite dishes, come home extra early just to be with him and completely given up drinking.

Kenji looked worriedly at his friend. The other man seemed to be off in a world of his own. "Look," Kenji said, finally trying to make an effort to help. "You look like you haven't eaten or slept for days. I'll just give this to you, okay?" He held out the box of homemade food, prepared by his wife. After she had heard that Daisuke wasn't well, she'd insisted on his bringing food to the redhead's house.

Daisuke blinked and then looked at his friend. "Sorry," he said hastily, "I was…thinking. Come in!"

Kenji raised an eyebrow but said nothing. It wasn't like Daisuke to just zone out for no reason at all. He stepped into the house and looked around for a place to put the food. Daisuke quickly took the box from his hands and placed it on the large wooden dining table. This was done in complete, awkward silence. Finally, Kenji could take things no more. "Daisuke? Are you okay?"

A pause. Then whispered, so softly that he could barely hear, "No."

Kenji frowned slightly. "What's the matter?"

Daisuke stared at him, ruby eyes glazed with the pain of remembering something that he didn't want to remember. Kenji sensed this and moved closer, unsure of how to comfort his friend. He didn't want to hug the guy or anything, the gesture might have been perceived as 'queer'. Swallowing, he decided to change the subject. "I'll go heat the food up, all right? Then you can sit down and eat, and we'll talk or whatever, okay?" At Daisuke's dazed nod, he quickly grabbed the box of food off the table and headed for the kitchen. He quickly located the microwave and almost a minute later, Daisuke found himself seated at the table with a plate of steaming hot fish in front of him.

Kenji watched his friend as he picked at the wholesome meal. Daisuke slowly lifted a forkful of fish to his lips. As soon as he took the first bite, he realised just how truly hungry he was. Ten minutes later, Daisuke stared at the white plate in front of him longingly, wishing that he could have some more. Despite the fact that Satoshi had cooked all of his favourite meals, he'd only picked at them.

Kenji stared in horror as the fish disappeared before his very eyes. Daisuke ate like a man who had been starved for a year! Sympathy clouded chocolate eyes as he watched the redhead. "Would you like some more?"

Daisuke looked shyly up at Kenji and nodded, blushing. He didn't, after all, want the other man to think that he was a pig. Kenji smiled. "It's all right. Hold on, okay?"

Two plates of food later, Daisuke felt full and contented. He looked at Kenji and tried to thank the other man for his kindness. Kenji smiled and then the expression on his face turned worried again as he noticed Daisuke swaying slightly. He supported the other man to the sofa and they sat there together, just enjoying each other's company and thinking.

This time, Daisuke was the first to break the silence. "He raped me."

Kenji was shocked. "Who? What?" Daisuke sniffled and buried his face in the other man's shirt, allowing himself to cry on someone else's shoulder for the first time in many, many years.

"He raped me," sobbed the redhead. "Satoshi. He came home drunk, and he was angry when I asked him to s-stop, and he hit me, and then…" Overcome by emotion, the redhead continued to cry.

Kenji was horrified and on instinct hugged the other man protectively. "He won't do it again," he whispered. "Shh, it's all right Daisuke, it's all right…"

Daisuke sobbed harder. "He says he's sorry, but that's what he always says, and he always promises to stop but never does, and…"

Kenji cut him off, gently hugging him. "It's all right Daisuke, just relax. It's all right…"

The door opened and both men turned to see who it was. Satoshi stood in the doorway, blue eyes ablaze when he saw the position that the pair were in on the couch. It wasn't particularly compromising, but Satoshi was a jealous man. "What are you doing?"

Kenji stood up immediately, determined to protect his friend from any more harm. "Are you the one who raped him?" he asked.

Satoshi glared. "You have no right to ask me that, not when you're a trespasser in my home!"

Brown met aqua, but this was not an argument that Kenji could win. "Fine," he coldly replied. "You did, didn't you? Don't deny it, Daisuke told me."

Satoshi glared even harder. "If you don't get out now, I'm going to arrest you," he said flatly. Kenji nodded.

"Fine. Then I'll tell them just what you've been up to in the past two days." With those final words, Kenji stormed out of the apartment. As soon as he was outside, he fervently prayed that Daisuke would not suffer anymore.

Satoshi turned away from the door and looked at Daisuke's face. He slumped visibly; then looked at his lover. "Why?" he whispered. "I've said I was sorry; what more do you want?"

Daisuke looked at the whole house, then directly at his husband. "I…" Satoshi looked at him, waiting for an answer. "I…can't take it any more."

Satoshi's mood changed. What he had just seen, coupled with this sudden announcement, shook him and rage took over. "What, you have a new boyfriend?"

Daisuke glared. "No, I haven't! I'm just tired of everything; the beatings, the drinking, the apologies! You always say you'll quit, but you never do! You're always blowing up at me, and it's not easy to handle!" At Satoshi hurt look, his eyes softened slightly. "Maybe…" Daisuke added softly, "maybe it's best if we just spend a little time apart."

Satoshi glared again, this time really angry. "Why?" he growled, "has your little bitch told you all sorts of fairytales about a romantic life with him? He's not worth anything, anyway."

Daisuke's eyes flashed. "Don't say that! He's my friend, not my bitch!" he screamed. Kenji was his closest friend, apart from Takeshi (who had moved to New York after getting a big assignment there).

"Oh yeah?" Satoshi sneered. "Then why were the pair of you cuddling? Were you getting ready for the big thing, mm?"

"For your information, he tried to comfort me! You don't do anything, you just say sorry and expect me to be all happy again!"

_Why do we scream at each other? _

The argument raged on, both men now trying to outdo the other. Their relationship had been officially broken; the ties that had once held them together were much weakened, if at all present. Finally, Daisuke lost it. "I'm leaving," he snapped angrily. Fifteen minutes later, he stormed out of the house and headed for a nearby hotel.

Satoshi looked at the door, blue eyes horrified as the full ramifications of what he had done crashed into him. For a moment, Krad seemed to return, his cool voice taunting as ever. ((He'll never love you…)) With a howl of pain and misery, Satoshi sank to the floor and cried.

_This is what it sounds like_

_When doves cry. _

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Sorry for the angst people, I guess that it just balanced out all the fluff that I've been turning out lately. I'm sorry. I'll go and work on my crossover now then…(creeps away silently). However, reviews will be appreciated, since this is my first attempt at true angst. Reviews please! 

Inkblotquill


	2. Revelations

**Chapter 2: Revelations**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel.

A/N: I know I said that this was just going to be a one shot, but I figured that I may as well extend it a bit, due to someone's requests. I think this is going to be a continuation of 'When Doves Cry', but not all of the chapters will involve songs. There'll probably be songs when Satoshi and Daisuke argue, perhaps a few amongst the chapters, but nothing's really confirmed. Thank you for all the support and requests for me to continue, it's good to know that you guys appreciate this piece of angst. Thanks.

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Daisuke trudged through the streets clutching his soft duffel bag. It contained only a little food, money and the clothes that he'd randomly thrown in. The night was cold and the streets of Azumano were empty, the harsh light of the street lamps throwing garish yellow light onto parts of the pavement. Daisuke padded along, not really caring about where his feet were taking him to. All he knew was that anything that he and Satoshi might have done in order to salvage their relationship was now out of the question. He'd laid down all his cards on the table; he'd told Satoshi his feelings about alcohol and asked him to stop. In the short term, his solution had worked. He slowly turned and faced the dying moon, his features thrown into sharp relief by the light. Looking around, the redhead realised that he was in the park, near the kiddy playground. A few benches sat off to the left of the area and he made his way over, still holding his duffel bag. He sank down onto the bench and stared unseeingly at the playground, wishing that life was as simple as the children who played here. He sighed and wondered where he could now go. He didn't want to go to Kenji's, because he was afraid that Satoshi might show up there. He couldn't go to the twins because they were out of town on a business trip and Takeshi was on the other side of the world. Sighing, he looked up sadly at the stars and a tear made its way down his face as he slowly lay down on the bench and hoped that the cops didn't find him there.

**Satoshi: **

The blue-haired detective only barely managed to reach the bedroom before collapsing in a drunken stupor. His mind was so fogged with alcohol that he barely remembered what had happened five minutes ago, let alone fifteen. With a grunt, he fell into the realm of unconsciousness and lay there all night, his body working to neutralize the poison.

The next morning, Satoshi woke up with a pounding beat going on in his head. It felt as though some Amazonian tribe had made its way into his head and was currently doing a tribal dance. Staggering to the bathroom, Satoshi leaned precariously over the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach into it. The tribal dance in his head continued and Satoshi shuffled painfully to the cupboard over the sink and groped around for some aspirin. To his horror, there were only two pills left and he was sure that he needed at least four to make this killer headache go away. Clutching the bottle in his hand, he staggered out into the kitchen and downed the pills with a few gulps of water. He sat limply in the chair, blue eyes dulled from both the headache and the effort of trying to think with it. He remained in this state for twenty minutes, the thought of work not even crossing his mind. It drifted across his mind but only remained there for the fraction of a second before returning to the dark depths from which it came. Satoshi looked around the house, thoughts and memories of Daisuke whirling around his head and speeding up until they were just blurs of red. _What happened this time? _Making up his mind and finally having woken up enough to think properly, Satoshi headed towards the bedroom, focused on searching for Daisuke for the rest of the day. _I want you back. I'm sorry. _

**Daisuke: **

The redhead slowly opened his eyes and blinked at the rays of sunlight. He frowned as he registered the hard bench beneath him and shifted uncomfortably. _Where am I…? Oh yeah. _He winced as the nasty bruise on his cheek throbbed painfully, reminding him of the events of the previous night. He slowly sat up and looked around, wincing at the ache in his body from having spent the night on a park bench. He frowned, at first not understanding why there were no children around. Then he remembered. _Oh yeah. It's Thursday morning. Duh. _He sat still, wondering what Satoshi was doing. He loved the other man, really he did. It was just that...it was just too much. Perhaps they really did need some time alone, to sort out their feelings and thoughts. Part of him wanted to return home and just say sorry, but the other part of him, the part that Dark had influenced, was totally against the idea. He then heard a sound from behind him and whipped around. There was nothing there. Frowning, Daisuke shrugged it off as some small animal, perhaps a squirrel, or a dog, or something. Then he heard it again. Turning around and feeling a little foolish, he called out, "I know you're there! You can come out now!" A pause. The rustling started up again and a familiar figure stepped out.

"Hey, Dai-chan." Daisuke could only stare in shock at the familiar figure and his whole body tingled just from hearing that familiar voice. "Long time no see, don't you think? Got a good reason as to why you're on a park bench clutching a duffel?"

"Dark?"

"Yeah." The thief grinned the same reckless grin that he had so often flashed at Krad and the police in days long gone. "You've grown. Now let's skip back a bit to my original question. Why are you on a park bench, clutching a duffel bag?" When Daisuke didn't answer, the thief chuckled. "What, Satoshi kicked you out of the house?"

"Sort of." Daisuke's voice was quiet and timid and immediately Dark knew that something was up.

"Dear God, what happened?" Dark sauntered casually over to the park bench and flopped down next to Daisuke. He was worried for his onetime host, but knew that pushing would only make Daisuke more reticent. He had to let the boy tell him, all in his own time.

Daisuke sighed and looked at the purple haired boy next to him. "It's a long story." Dark shrugged.

"I'm listening." He hoped that Daisuke would tell him what had happened between him and Satoshi so that he could kick the detective's butt as soon as possible. Daisuke looked like he wanted to say something, but then shrugged.

"It's nothing. Really, Dark."

"Uh huh," the thief commented. However, he was thrown off balance by the redhead's next question.

"Why aren't the police after you? Surely you can't go around Azumano unnoticed!" Dark shrugged carelessly. Truth to tell, he didn't want to reveal that answer to Daisuke partly out of revenge and partly because it was a complicated process which had involved time and space alternately moving, people's mindsets being messed around with, so on and so forth.

"We-ell…"

"Tell me!" Dark could not help the laugh that bubbled up from inside him. For a moment, it seemed like Daisuke was still fourteen, he was still in the other boy's body and he still thought that he harboured feelings for Risa. _Ah, those were the days, _he thought almost wistfully.

"Nah…don't feel like it." He winked and ploughed on before Daisuke could say anything. "It's only fair to keep my secrets if you keep yours, right?" Daisuke huffed and rolled his eyes, evoking another laugh from Dark. "Feel like coming over then? Bet it beats the park bench, at any rate."

Daisuke mulled over the matter and nodded. "Thanks," he said quietly. Dark shrugged.

"Anytime." Without further preamble, the two headed off to Dark's place.

**Satoshi: **

Satoshi wandered aimlessly around the train station, feeling lost. His thoughts came in a constant barrage, worries, anxieties and fears all becoming one big jumble. He was only focused on finding Daisuke and fervently hoped that the redhead had not been mugged or harassed by some of the more dubious characters wandering the streets in the night time. Krad's voice came back to haunt him, its cool detachedness eerie and yet familiar at the same time. Things don't work that way, Satoshi-sama. You gave all you had, but it wasn't enough. Thieves are always greedy, nothing is ever enough for them.

Satoshi growled angrily. ((He's not like that!)) With an amazing effort, the blue-haired detective forced the memories out of his head. He stood still and thought things through, his mind clearer now that he had taken out some frustration on Krad's ghost. He shut his eyes, thinking hard. ((If I were Daisuke, where would I go?)) He sighed and opened his eyes again, rubbing his temples. It was no use. He'd checked all the likely places. Sighing, the blue-haired detective turned around and bit back a gasp as he saw a flash of gold. It wasn't ordinary gold, nor the kind that came out of bottles. It was a gleaming, shining gold, with the kind of luster that was usually only associated with pirate's gold. Satoshi inwardly cowered. He'd only seen that kind of gold on one person, and one person alone. ((It can't be! He was sealed up with Dark years ago!)) He looked at the spot again, but the person was gone. ((I must have just been seeing things.))

He felt a breeze behind him. Whipping around, he found himself facing nothing. A few people stared at him curiously but then shrugged and continued with their business, for which he was grateful. It would have been hard to explain as to why the Chief of the Azumano Police Force was in a train station, looking around as though he had just seen a ghost. Besides, he was supposed to be at work. Slowly, Satoshi started for the exit but found himself staring into someone's face. He jerked back a few steps and bit back a scream. Krad was back and stood there as though he had never left. The blond angel raised a hand slowly, as though he were merely greeting Satoshi after an absence. Without another word, Satoshi shut his eyes. ((This can't be real this can't be real this can't be real this can't be…)) Darkness overtook him and he sank to the floor in blissful unconsciousness. Krad caught Satoshi silently, glaring at anyone who dared to stare or inquire if he needed help. Looking at the man in his arms, an unreadable expression passed across Krad's face as he stared tenderly, almost sorrowfully at his tamer before carrying him out of the station.

**Daisuke: **

Daisuke looked around the small apartment, blinking. The whole place looked like…well, it looked like exactly the kind of place that Dark would live in. The walls were a dramatic shade of purple with a thin black strip across the bottom. On the far side, there was a large window that took up most of the wall space, the view looking out over the city. The rest of the apartment was accordingly decorated, giving off a modern and yet dark look. Daisuke stared, wondering just where Dark had gotten the money to afford this place. That view didn't come cheap. As though reading his mind, Dark absentmindedly murmured, "I got a job-sort of."

_I'll bet, _Daisuke thought dryly, _it's probably something to do with thieving and selling. _Dark sighed quietly and turned to Daisuke. "Ne, when did _you _become so cynical?" the thief asked.

Daisuke looked Dark in the eye, but found himself looking downwards two seconds later and blushing. The thief sighed and suddenly Daisuke found himself being scooped up in the older man's arms. "What are you doing?" he shrieked, arms automatically going around Dark's neck for fear of falling.

"I'm just carrying you to the bathroom, you'll need a shower," the thief replied innocently. Sighing, Daisuke shut his eyes and prepared himself for the worst. However, when they got to the bathroom, Dark kicked the door open and set Daisuke down gently on the edge of the bath tub. "Don't fall in," he warned the redhead. "I don't like cleaning up. Now, wait here till I bring you some towels and clothes."

Daisuke looked around the bathroom, surprised. Unlike the rest of the house, this room was tinted in pale yet rich colours, such as alabaster, cream and other colours. _I wonder how Satoshi's doing. _The thought popped into his head suddenly, and Daisuke almost jumped. "What?" he asked aloud in the empty bathroom. _I hope he's all right. _Daisuke blushed, and hoped that one day, someday, Satoshi and he would be able to return to their normal life together before the alcohol.

Why bother about him? A tiny, bitter voice spoke up. He beat you up, continued to drink even after you asked him to stop. He didn't even trust you enough to let you hug another person! True love isn't like that.

_And you would know this because…? _Daisuke didn't know what was happening. Half of him wanted to tell the voice to shut up, but the other wanted to agree.

I'm smart. You're just naive. Just then, Dark entered the room laden with towels and clothes. Daisuke blushed at the thought of wearing something that Dark would, and then pushed it to the back of his mind and scolded himself for being ungrateful. "Thanks," he muttered as the thief dropped the things into his arms.

"No problem," Dark replied smoothly. He stopped and looked at the redhead more closely. "So…" he leaned closer. Daisuke shifted uncomfortably.

"Um…yeah?" Daisuke was reduced to monosyllabic replies from the discomfort of having the thief this close to him. Before, it had been Satoshi causing that feeling when they had been teenagers. It now seemed that the tables had turned. A blush slowly made its way up his face and Daisuke didn't know what to do. Without warning, Dark leaned forward and gave him a chaste peck on the lips. Then he stood up and left the room as calmly as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, leaving a confused and embarrassed Daisuke behind.

Dark flopped down on the couch, blowing his flyaway hair out of his face. Why on earth had he done that, anyway? His mind replayed the scene over and over again and he could not help but sigh again. He'd wanted the redhead ever since he'd first appeared but had held back, only wanting to see him happy and nothing more. Never in his wildest dreams had he dreamed of actually being able to touch and feel his host with his own fingers, have his own body, be able to stay in one place for as long as he wanted without feeling a tugging sensation every 12 hours. Never had he thought that he would have a chance with the pretty redhead. He placed his fingers over his lips dreamily, remembering what Daisuke had felt and tasted like. Then his instinct had kicked in and it had taken everything in Dark not to just run out of the bathroom screaming for help.

**Satoshi: **

Satoshi looked at the room he was in and realized that he was lying on the couch, in the living room of his own house. Frowning, he tried to remember at what point he had returned home. All he remembered was desperately searching places for Daisuke but failing, and then the train station, and then…oh God. Krad. He then noticed the figure standing over him, holding a glass of water. "You're awake," it commented lightly and Satoshi stared in shock as the cup was pressed to his lips. "Drink something, it's better."

Satoshi tried to sit up and take the cup in his hands, but Krad wouldn't let him. "You have to rest to keep your strength up," he said gently. His voice was soft and soothing and Satoshi found himself being gently pushed back down into a horizontal position. He looked up at the blond angel and could only stare at what he saw. Krad didn't look as…homicidal as he had years before. His eyes seemed almost sorrowful, his expression softer. The icy coolness still clung to him like his aura, but there was a definite softening of the features. It wasn't the sickeningly obsequious look of the obsessed that Krad had given him in his younger days, it was a sad, haunting look. Satoshi slowly asked the question that had been on his mind since he'd realized that Krad was back in a tangible, independent form.

"How?"

Krad shook his head, gently placing a finger on Satoshi's lips. "Hush," he cooed softly as though talking to a young child. "You mustn't over exert yourself. All will be revealed in time." Satoshi refused to be soothed however and forced himself to sit up.

"Krad, I mean it. I'm fine." He tried to swat the angel's hands away, but gave up after seeing the hurt in the older man's eyes. "Just tell me what happened, please." He hated to beg Krad like this, but he needed to know. The blond shook his head and repeated what he had said earlier. Frustrated, Satoshi snarled at Krad. "I need to find Daisuke!" he almost shouted. The blond sighed quietly in resignation.

"You love him, don't you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes! I do! I do! I love him with all my heart!" Satoshi was almost shouting and crying now, feeling like a little child lost in the wide world. Krad nodded, golden orbs sad, yet glimmering with another emotion that had no name.

"Then watch this." He opened the palm of his hand and Satoshi stared at the little glowing crystal sitting in it. At first, it sparkled innocently in the angel's hand, but then clouds swirled across its surface and a blur of colours appeared. They sharpened into shapes and Satoshi looked silently into the orb, the unspoken acceptance clear. He then saw a flash of purple and he was sure that his jaw dropped as he realized that he was looking at Kaitou Dark. The thief seemed to be holding what seemed like towels and clothes and was walking down a corridor. He stopped at a door and kicked it open to reveal Daisuke, sitting forlornly on the edge of the tub. Satoshi stared hungrily at the image. He watched Dark drop the things into the redhead's lap and growled low in his throat as he watched the other man sit next to Daisuke. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the way Dark was leaning into Daisuke, the way his husband was fidgeting and Satoshi almost had a heart attack as he watched Dark lean in and kiss Daisuke. Clouds began to gather over the crystal and to the detective's dismay, the image faded.

* * *

There. That's your continuation, and that's the way it's going to go. Hope you liked it. Review please please please please…yeah. Review, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Shoutouts:

Classy Raven: Immense thank you here fore reviewing so many times and thank you for giving me some really good ideas, I used one of them. I owe you a lot, thanks for getting me to continue this.

Les Scribbles: I seem to remember you reviewing a couple of other fanfics…in any case, thank you for that rather…emotional…review. It was appreciated, thanks. Here's your tissues passes box over

Kingmaker (anonymous): Well, thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Silv3r Magician: Thanks, it's good to know that my first attempt at pure angst wasn't too shabby (I hope). Thank you for the support.

Review please, everyone, it's very much appreciated. No flames though please. Reviews, and thank you for reading.


	3. Complications

**Chapter 3: Complications**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. How hard is it to wrap your mind around that concept?

A/N: Thank you for the support and I would like to point out that this chapter came up so S-L-O-W-L-Y because:

I have exams and a life outside fanfiction (wow).

I've been working on another fic at the same time (YYH/IY crossover)

I just don't have time!

Well. Enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Daisuke walked out of the bathroom feeling somewhat refreshed. The shower had really woken him up and he felt a little cleaner. "Dark?" he called out into the corridor. He smelled the familiar scent of food cooking and heard either the radio or the stereo blasting out a familiar tune. Apparently, Dark seemed to have taken a fancy to it, for he was singing along to it. "…I told ya homeboy! Can't touch this…oh sh--!" This last part was violently shouted as the onetime thief accidentally brushed his hand against the hot stove. Daisuke immediately rushed out, dirty clothes and all, and promptly tripped over a dangling sleeve.

The pair, now on the floor, stared at each other before bursting out into simultaneous laughter at their clumsiness and the other's antics and picked themselves off the floor. Finally, Dark managed to gasp out, "I don't believe you were ever a thief, Dai." Silence fell and Dark wondered why the mention of his younger days made the redhead look so downcast. Then the links fell into place. _Let's see now…thieving means Daisuke's younger days. Daisuke's younger days equals to avoiding the police. Avoiding the police leads to Satoshi. And Satoshi leads to…major fall out? _Dark didn't know, he was only guessing, but he felt that that reason was the most likely. "Sorry, Dai," he apologized awkwardly. The other man shook his head and stood up, clutching his dirty clothes. "Ah!" The purple haired boy quickly snatched the clothes out of Daisuke's hands and rushed off. "Here, let me take these. Just keep an eye on the eggs, 'kay?" Without another word, he rushed off.

Daisuke stood in the kitchen, completely bemused. Thoughts ran through his head, the most prominent of them being, _How can he be so…_calm…_after that? _The smell of burning food brought Daisuke back to his senses and he very nearly shrieked and ran towards the stove, horrified by the black smoke rising from a pan.

Dark silently placed the clothes into the laundry basket, enjoying the soft scent of Daisuke still lingering on them. The thief managed to keep his cool throughout their rather brief chat in the kitchen, but he knew that his face was red from being caught singing along to the radio-something so cheesy that it would probably turn Risa off him for good if she ever caught him doing such a thing. _Well, time to head back out. _Something soft brushed the side of his leg gently and he looked down. Blinking in surprise, he placed the shirt into the laundry basket and walked out. The sight that met his eyes would have been nothing short of comical if it hadn't been for the fact that his expensive kitchen was about to be ruined. "What the fu--!" The expletive was left unfinished as he saw his former host desperately trying to beat out the flames with a wet rag. He rushed over and both men desperately tried to put the flames out.

Finally, the pair was finished with their stunt and Dark leaned over the stove, closer towards the wall to inspect it. After all, he _had _paid an arm and two legs for the décor and having it ruined by a mini fire would not exactly cheer him up. What he didn't know, however, was that his position gave Daisuke a very good view of everything. Dark happened to be wearing a pair of low cut jeans and when coupled with the skintight black shirt that he was wearing, it was enough to turn anyone's head.

Daisuke looked at the way Dark was leaning over the stove and felt himself get a little…hot under the collar. All right, Satoshi's ghost still lingered on in his mind, but the memories were pushed onto the back burner at the sight of Dark's exposed abdomen. The crimson-eyed man shifted uncomfortably, wanting to leave before his attraction to the thief became a real threat but felt that it would not be good to leave before apologizing. "Dark…I'm sorry."

"Mm?" The purple eyed man didn't catch the phrase and straightened up with a soft grunt, turning to face Daisuke. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For your wall, of course!" Daisuke was surprised that Dark didn't understand, considering that he had actually looked quite worried about the fire touching the wallpaper. The violet-haired man waved off the apology.

"No biggie. Nothing's damaged, anyway."

"Are you sure?"

Dark gave the other man a look akin to the ones he had shot Daisuke's way when they were still sharing a body. "Do I look like I'm sure?"

Daisuke smiled uncertainly. "All right then…" Dark grinned at the look on Daisuke's face-for a moment, his ex-host could have been fourteen again. Well, okay. Only by the look on his face though; that body was just _not _meant for a fourteen year old. Dark prevented himself from drooling and firmly reminded himself that Satoshi was Daisuke's husband and Gods knew what Krad was out there doing. He knew the blond angel had been released along with him; he felt the other man's presence every moment of the day. They were linked forever, joined by their destinies, and the person who'd released them hadn't been willing to change that. Dark smiled sadly as he remembered the price paid for his and Krad's freedom. Feeling a soft touch on his arm, he remembered where he was and looked at Daisuke.

"Hey, Dark, why don't we just clean up and go out for lunch or something? I don't think you want to cook anything, and there's a new place that just opened." Daisuke hoped that this would cheer his friend up. To his delight, Dark promptly dragged him out of the house and onto the streets of Azumano, demanding to know where this new place was.

Dark was surprised when Daisuke mentioned a new restaurant in town. He was forever going out to eat with his friends and knew every single eating place in the whole town. Well, at least, he thought he did. Until Daisuke told him about this new place. Curiosity piqued, he promptly dragged his friend out into the street, uncaring of the condition of the wall.

**Satoshi: **

"Tell me already!" Satoshi was less than happy as he paced around the room, Krad stood in a corner, shimmers of gold and white visible whenever he changed his standing position.

"My deepest apologies, Satoshi-sama, but I cannot. Forgive me." Krad maintained that he would not tell his host anything about how he and Dark had returned to the physical world. In return for freeing them, the being had wished to remain unknown to everyone. He had also learned a great deal from Dark in their first few days back on Earth, despite the fact that he'd learned everything kicking and screaming. Didn't mean that he liked the man, though. He'd only showed Satoshi-sama the scene between Dark and Daisuke in order to pair the two of them up again. All right, so part of his motives involved revenge against a certain kaitou. Still…the whole idea was very generous of him, considering just how desperate Satoshi seemed to be. Krad felt a pull at his heart telling him that he could still redeem himself, but…_no more, _he thought. _No more, and that is final. _

Satoshi looked up into Krad's face carefully, used to seeing the contours of the other man's face and the tiny hints as to his emotions. In the golden eyes, he saw a flicker of something before it was covered by the usual coldness. He leaned up, grabbing the older one's arms. "Krad, please tell me what happened!" he begged the other frantically. "I have to know! I have to!"

Krad merely closed his eyes, pain on his sharply chiseled features. He turned away, unable to look at his host lest he should accidentally let something slip. "Satoshi-sama," he began quietly. "Please…it involves things that cannot be spoken of, and must not be mentioned." Satoshi stared at the angel's back, eyes glossed over with tears that refused to fall.

"Then take me to where he is, please!" Satoshi was almost begging now, desperate to see Daisuke again. Right now, he wanted to have the other man in his arms once more, to feel his warmth and see the vibrant red hair of his husband. He didn't want anything more. Krad finally turned around and the next words that came out of his mouth could not have made Satoshi happier and sadder at the same time.

"Fine. I will take you there, Satoshi-sama, but we cannot go until night falls." The blue-haired detective slowly shut his eyes and counted to ten, reminding himself that it simply would not do to be seen flying over the rooftops of Azumano in broad daylight. He looked at Krad, blue eyes softening as he saw the way the normally aloof, arrogant being stood. His back was slightly slouched, defeat and the memory of three hundred years' worth of sorrow clearly shown in his position. Satoshi felt pity overcome him for a moment and slowly walked over to Krad. The pain in his head was gone now and he felt better, especially after that glass of water.

"Krad…I'm sorry." They both knew what he was apologizing for but the blond waved it off.

"I should be the one apologizing. I did not understand the consequences of my behaviour toward you, Satoshi-sama." Satoshi slowly shook his head, remembering that Daisuke had helped him to understand and forgive Krad for all that he had done. _Daisuke, _he thought sadly. _Please…I want you back. _His eyes filled up, but he refused to let the tears fall. _Please…_

Krad looked out the window of the apartment, reflecting on the events that had allowed him to return to this world along with Dark. The corner of his mouth quirked upwards in a bitter, sardonic smile at the memory as he gazed out of the window and he slowly let out a sigh. There was nothing more that he could do except try and pick up the pieces of what he had tried so hard to shatter years ago. If not for anything else, because of the promise that had been made and the bargain that had been sealed. Krad heard Satoshi get off the couch, but made no attempt to stop him from moving because there was simply no point in arguing.

Satoshi walked over to stand by Krad, eyes thoughtful. His brain had now kicked back and he saw the futility of just lying around worrying about Dark and Daisuke. He had a sinking feeling that if he didn't apologise quickly, Daisuke would just cut off all contact. The Niwa clan-Daisuke especially-was incredibly versatile and could easily just vanish off the face of the earth within twenty four hours if needed. The detective sighed and ran a hand through his hair, tousling it further. Krad smoothed his hair absentmindedly and for one, heartbreaking moment, Satoshi imagined that it was Daisuke gently, taking all his pain and sadness away. Again, his eyes filled up with tears but Satoshi was determined not to cry and angrily dashed the water away. Krad silently put his arms around him and both stood there, waiting for the sun to go down.

**Dark and Daisuke: **

Dark was shaking with laughter, the glass of iced lemon tea in his hand trembling with his movements. "I don't believe you did that!" he gasped out between gasps for air. "I-don't-believe-you-did-that!" Daisuke laughed along with him ruefully, a faint blush colouring his cheeks at the memory of the experience.

"Yeah I know," he replied. "It just seemed like a good idea at the time."

"You don't just grab Satoshi and kiss him on the mouth when asked about your relationship!"

"Hey, I was _drunk_, all right?"

Dark snickered behind his free hand, replacing the glass on the table. "Still, that's not an excuse!"

Daisuke blushed further and Dark resisted the urge to grab his host and do bad things to him in the restaurant, staff and customers be damned. He just looked so cute! _All right, _Dark thought to himself, _down boy. Down. Don't get excited here. _

Daisuke felt strangely light-hearted, a feeling that he had almost forgotten when Satoshi had started drinking. He wasn't worried anymore; he felt just like a 'normal' person enjoying their closest friend's company. Without warning, the kiss with Dark popped up in his mind and he felt his face turn tomato red. "Ah, Dark…" he leaned forward across the table so that he was closer to Dark's face. He found that he couldn't look into those startling amethyst depths that always sparkled with a mischievous glint.

"Yes, Dai-chan?" Dark laughed as he saw Daisuke turn redder, but stopped when he caught the other man's serious expression. He, too, leaned forward. Partly because he was curious to hear what Daisuke wanted to tell him-from the looks of things, Daisuke didn't want to be heard-and also to be closer to the redhead. "I'm listening," he said softly.

"Ah, about the-the…" Dark blinked. He had no clue what the other man was trying to say. Unless…a sneaking suspicion crept up on him. His eyes darted around, seeking for something to focus on. Unfortunately, they landed on Daisuke's mouth and the older one groaned softly, wishing that he could have had a better taste in the bathroom. He slowly leaned forward, more tentative than usual.

Daisuke stared at Dark, stammering and feeling like a fool. _Here I am, talking to my best friend who's lived in my head for a year or so, and I'm unable to speak. I must look like some girl trying to admit her crush. _He noticed that the thief's face was becoming alarmingly closer to his and his eyes were now only half-open. _He looks…amazing…_Daisuke was barely thinking before he felt a soft pressure on his lips. _What the…? _He felt the lips on his move gently, caressing and undemanding. A shiver of heat ran down Daisuke's body and he felt himself pressing closer to Dark, one hand reaching up to grab the other man's shirt in order to pull him closer. A flash of blue appeared in his mind's eye but it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and the redhead threw himself into everything that Dark had to offer. The pair broke away from each other panting for air, both flushed and feeling hot. They ignored the people in the café who were staring at them, each only having eyes for the other.

The moment was however spoilt by the table's ominous creaking. Not built for patrons leaning on it for any more than a minute at best, the piece of furniture shook precariously. Dark swore and leaned forward instinctively, grabbing Daisuke's wrist for support. The redhead cried out in pain as the ex-thief pushed on his wrist and touched an unhealed bruise. Horrified, the amethyst eyed man quickly lifted his hand off Daisuke's wrist and hurriedly sat down, grabbing his love's hand gently and rolling up the sleeve. He stared in horror and the finger marks on the wrist and wondered who could have done this. He quickly signaled for the bill and after paying, walked out of the restaurant quickly, intent on taking Daisuke back home.

**Satoshi and Krad: **

Satoshi found himself looking at Krad with new eyes, discovering something new about the blond each time. He realized that Krad's…zealousness was attributed to the fear of losing him. All the Hikari had hated him and called him their curse, but somehow Satoshi had a feeling that Krad had never been asked his point of view. He resolved to try to understand Krad better. Right now, though, he wanted Daisuke back. He felt hot anger well up inside him as he thought of Dark and wished that he could get his hands around the phantom thief's throat. _He's going to regret the day he was ever born, _the blue-eyed detective thought grimly. _He's going to beg for mercy when I'm through with him. _

"Don't worry, it will be all right." Krad's voice cut through the silence and Satoshi shifted in his position. Oddly enough, he was allowing Krad to hold him gently around the waist, almost the same way he would hold Daisuke.

"You think so?" Satoshi kept his face forward, unwilling to turn around and look at the blond who was currently holding him. He was a firm believer in the fact that people's faces could trigger many reactions in others and did not know if he could look at Krad fully in the eye without childhood memories resurfacing. With the tenacity that he was known for in the police department, Satoshi asked the question again. "Since we'll have to wait for a while, Krad, why don't you tell me how you and Dark came back?"

Silence. The angel finally gave in to his host's demand. "All right then," he softly replied, "but I cannot mention certain names because of an oath of secrecy." Satoshi nodded, wanting the story. "It all started six months ago…" Krad began.

**_-Flashback-: _**

_Krad floated in nothingness, aware and unaware of everything around him at the same time. He could sense the darkness and confines of his prison; nothing else. He was accustomed to this feeling of timelessness. Then a light appeared above him, a small pinpoint gradually increasing in size to become a figure. Krad stared at the figure uncomprehendingly, only knowing that it would not hurt him. Then the person spoke. "You wish to make amends. Your soul cried out in anguish as you disappeared along with the phantom thief, also known as Dark Mousy. Is that correct?" Krad didn't realize the chance that he was being offered and laughed bitterly at the figure. _

"_Do you really think I would be able to blend in with humans just like that? Besides, the damage is irreparable. And I wouldn't be welcome by the only ones who know me." The figure stood impassively. _

"_That's why I'm giving you a chance now." Krad stared. _

"_Who are you, anyway?" Curiosity overpowered any other feelings that he might have had for the figure. _

"_Let's say that I am the Essence of Time. It's something that you wouldn't be able to understand." _

_Krad shrugged. "Try me." _

_The figure chuckled quietly. "How about…no? Answer my question first: would you like to return to the world of humans?" _

_Krad stared. "All right then…I guess…" he replied doubtfully. The figure smiled, its lips curving upwards slightly. _

"_All right then. But are two conditions that you must accept. Think of it as a bargain." Krad shrugged. _

"_All right then." _

"_Firstly: You must take Dark Mousy, the phantom thief, along with you to the human world." Krad was about to protest when the figure held up a hand, silencing him. "I wouldn't protest. Two small requests ares really a tiny price to pay for such a large…task." Krad glared but held his tongue. The figure nodded and Krad felt a sense of approval radiating from it. "Secondly: You must not reveal anything about me. You may only reveal my name and nothing more." Krad nodded. He then thought of his Satoshi-sama, now with the Niwa. _A binding of the two clans, _he thought jealously. The figure seemed to read his thoughts and answered accordingly. _

"_Krad Hikari…have you learned? Surely you must have learned something about love and obsession whilst in this prison of yours." Krad stared at the figure, wondering what he meant by that particular statement. _

"_You know what I mean." When Krad showed no sign of recognition, the figure sighed. "Love and obsession are two different things, Krad. You must learn to tell the difference between them. Love is when you will do anything for that person to make them happy, even relinquish your own claim to them. Only then can your emotions and feelings for them be truly called love. Obsession will only bring hurt and hatred to both parties. Neither will benefit from it. Now…our bargain is sealed." The figure raised its left hand and a large sceptre suddenly materialized in its hand. _

"_Thus is the pact made. Thus is it sealed." The figure raised the sceptre, colours of the spectrum emanating from it. Krad felt a searing pain go through his body and screamed aloud. The pain only increased in intensity and then…darkness. The next thing that he saw when he regained consciousness was Mousy's face staring at him curiously. The pair of them had quickly split up, both agreeing that being linked would not stop them from living apart and breaking the conditions of the bizarre contract that had set them free. They'd gone their own separate ways, keeping their heads down for a few months. _

_**-End Flashback-**_

Satoshi looked at Krad, amazed at the way he and Dark had managed to hide themselves in a small town. Krad continued. "I think the one who had released us changed us in some way, so that people would not recognize us for what we once were." At this, Satoshi gave a rueful smile.

"I guess that guy really taught you something…" Satoshi mused. Krad nodded.

"In a way, yes he did." Satoshi paused, thinking. Then he spoke.

"I'm glad."

The pair looked out the window again, noting that the sun was going down. _Soon, _Satoshi thought. _Soon. _

**Dark and Daisuke: **

"What was he thinking!" Dark's enraged voice cut through the house. Daisuke winced as the elder of the two applied just a little too much pressure on his swollen knee.

"Argh!" Dark realized his mistake and hastily loosened his grip.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, although his violet eyes still danced with anger. Then back to the interrogation. "Why did he hit you?" Daisuke shrugged.

"I guess he was just pissed at me. He was drunk, anyway," he said, adding on the last part too quickly for Dark's comfort. The onetime thief sighed and then gently pulled Daisuke into a hug.

"Listen," he whispered softly into the other boy's hair. "You're going to tell me everything, starting from the day I left." Daisuke took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts, and then began. It felt like the longest story he'd ever told in his life. The sky grew dark but neither of them paid attention to it, one too engrossed in his own story and the other intent on listening and piecing the jigsaw together. The door suddenly flew open and Dark immediately jumped to his feet, pushing Daisuke behind him in case it was someone dangerous. Amethyst and ruby eyes widened in shock, amazement and surprise as they met gold and azure orbs. Dark was the first one to speak. "You bastard!" Krad's face grew dark, and the kaitou pointed at Satoshi, indicating that the remark was not meant for him. Satoshi, on the other hand, winced.

* * *

That was pretty hard, actually. Oh, and I actually made a ten page chapter for you guys, so hopefully that'll keep you guys satisfied for a while. Don't expect anything for a long while-I'll be on holiday soon and out of the country, away from my computer. So I hope you enjoy this little chapter. Much thanks to all those who reviewed this fanfic and more reviews would be much appreciated. Review please!Thanks!

Trichloroethane.


	4. Journeys End With Lovers' Meetings

**Chapter 4: Journeys End With Lovers' Meetings**

Disclaimer: Don't own D. N. Angel. Whatever gave you that idea?

Warning: Mild profanity.

A/N: Well. Thank you to everyone for the support and reviews, I'm glad my last chapter received such glowing reviews (haha), and I hope you'll enjoy this one and continue to review. Things should go a teensy bit faster-I did, after all, delete the other story I was working on (I ran out of steam on it). Well, enjoy!

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Krad shot a poisonous look at Dark and told him bluntly, "He's remorseful enough as it is. Give him a break, will you?" Dark blinked, apparently not used to being talked to in that manner. Generally people were a little more polite.

"Why should I?" Dark shot back just as venomously, if not more so. "He hasn't exactly done a good job in the past year, has he?" Krad frowned and Dark pressed his advantage. "He didn't tell you then, Krad?" The golden angel stepped backwards, taken aback by Dark. He'd always thought of his antagonist as a reckless, happy-go-lucky playboy who thought about nothing but pretty girls and thieving. Apparently he was wrong.

Daisuke quickly placed a hand on Dark's arm just as Satoshi did the same to restrain Krad. Dark turned around, eyes snapping. Daisuke winced slightly at the angry look, but stared the other man full in the eyes, warning him silently not to infuriate Krad further. The two looked at their respective hosts and then sighed, looking away from each other. Then it was Satoshi's and Daisuke's turn.

The two stared at each other silently. Satoshi felt himself shift uncomfortably under Daisuke's calm gaze and Dark's hostile one. He slowly walked forward, testing whether Daisuke would forgive him or not. Then Dark spoke and his voice was that of cold, restrained anger.

"Satoshi. Remember the promise you made to me when we first met?" Satoshi nodded, remembering that fateful night.

"I do."

"Remember what you promised not to do if I succeeded?" Satoshi nodded again and answered before Dark could ask him.

"I promised not to hurt Daisuke."

Dark nodded almost approvingly. "Right." Then the kaitou's voice turned colder. "So why didn't you hold to that promise?" Satoshi was silent. _Why…? _He didn't know what had happened. He remembered the headaches, the pain, the anger he had unleashed under the influence of drink. The silence stretched and grew, looming over the two of them like some invisible monster. When it was clear that Satoshi was at a loss for words, Dark turned away in disgust. "You do it," he told Daisuke. "I can't."

Daisuke walked forward and looked up at Satoshi. Ruby met sapphire and slowly stepped forward to be closer to Daisuke, but was stopped by the other's outstretched hand. The redhead's thoughts were in a jumble. Fear, anger and pity swirled in his mind as each emotion battled for dominance. Daisuke however pushed them all away, forcing himself to look at Satoshi closely for the first time since he had left the house in a rage. The detective's eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, speaking silently of time spent in anguish and worry. The pity gnawed at Daisuke's heart and he slowly leaned forward to gently hug his husband.

Krad looked at the pair, praying for Satoshi's sake that Daisuke would forgive him. He could not bear to see his Tamer in any sort of pain, but could not find the heart to hate Daisuke. Demon he might be, Dark's archenemy he might be, but it was not in him to hate without a good reason. He had no grudge against Daisuke and felt that it would be unfair to blame the Niwa for Mousy's shortcomings.

Dark stood still, his face betraying no emotion whatsoever. He knew that he should be happy that Daisuke had chosen to forgive his husband, but inwardly he felt a leaden lump sink into his stomach. As he watched the couple embrace, he slowly lowered his head and silently wept for the loss of his love. Unseen to everyone but himself, a small droplet of water fell to the ground and was swallowed by the dark carpet on the floor.

Satoshi shut his eyes as he felt Daisuke's body against his, sagged as he heard the soothing words that his love whispered into his ear. He looked up and saw Dark staring fixedly at the floor and although he knew that the feeling was mean and ignoble, he felt a sense of triumph come over him. Dark suddenly lifted his head and if the look in his eyes was anything to go by, Satoshi knew that he would have to fight to keep Daisuke.

The reunited couple made their way over to the couch, still attached to each other. Slowly, Satoshi leaned in closer for a kiss and smirked as he felt Daisuke's soft lips touch his. His arms encircled the redhead's waist and he moaned softly as he tasted the other man once more. The familiar taste of vanilla and strawberries infiltrated his senses and he felt giddy. However, the giddiness didn't suppress his darker, more jealous side and he sneaked a look at the onetime kaitou to gauge his reaction. Judging by Dark's face, it seemed as though he wasn't affected. _Well, no matter. He'll realize the extent of his loss soon enough. _

Dark pointedly ignored Daisuke and Satoshi, who were making out on the couch. _His _couch, if there was anything else to say. He then looked at Krad and hiding his disgust for the other man, he motioned for the blond to sit. "Do sit, Krad, there's nothing like a comfortable chair to soothe your nerves." To top the act off, he threw himself onto the chaise nearest the window. The other followed, his aura coldly disapproving.

Daisuke closed his eyes, drowning in the sensations. Just as he was beginning to feel the first stirrings of arousal creep in across the edges of his mind, the memory of the kiss he had shared with Dark in the afternoon effectively banished it. With a soft gasp, Daisuke pulled away from Satoshi, eyes wide.

Satoshi stared at Daisuke as he pulled away. His eyes pricked slightly as he thought of the things that had sent Daisuke running away from him and he leaned forward to whisper words of reassurance into his husband's ear. However, blue eyes widened in shock as Daisuke moved away from him. His red eyes were shut tightly and he was whispering something to himself over and over again. Much to the blue-haired detective's irritation, Dark hurried over and began to comfort Daisuke, hugging the younger one and pulling him closer. To Satoshi's eyes, this made him more jealous and he remembered the scene that Krad had shown him before. His eyes narrowed but he kept himself restrained. _Be still, _he told himself. _Don't let Dark know. _

Dark hugged Daisuke silently, trying to comfort the redhead. He didn't know for sure what it was that was bothering Daisuke, but he did have a strong feeling about the reason. Besides, his instincts and hunches usually proved to be right. "Shhhh," he whispered softly into the redhead's hair. "It's all right, it's natural to be a little awkward at first."

Krad spoke up from his spot near the window-he would not deign to touch any of that idiot kaitou's furniture-and his voice was heavily laced with irritation and sarcasm. "You know, Mousy, it would help if you weren't around." Dark shot an evil look at Krad for this comment, but continued to soothe Daisuke. He didn't need his former host to become even more upset from the tension around him. Daisuke slowly calmed down, but when he looked up into amethyst eyes, his crimson orbs opened wide in horror and to Satoshi's dismay, the redhead bolted out of the apartment, leaving the door wide open.

Dark looked at Satoshi and then away from him, fixing his gaze on the swinging door instead. Satoshi, on the other hand, continued to look at Dark, expression unreadable. The ex-thief sighed and stood up, walking towards the door as he spoke. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm going to look for Daisuke."

Satoshi stood up quickly, eyes narrowed. He was not going to lose Daisuke to this-this rat! _You've already kissed him Dark, aren't you happy now? _"I'm going with you," he heard himself coldly say. Behind him, Krad covered his face with his hands, a look of despair on his face.

Krad watched silently as Dark and his former host left the apartment and he shut his golden eyes. The flying had taken more out of him that usual, because he was no longer supposed to fly! The Guardian hadn't taken the wings or magic away, but he had made it more difficult to summon magic. _No wonder that idiot thief didn't try to blast me out as soon as he saw me. _Sighing to himself, he decided to follow the rest of the group to ensure that nothing crazy happened. _Although I swear, if either Tamer or thief try to hurt him, I will not hold back. _With this thought, Krad walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.

**Daisuke: **

Daisuke slumped down on one of the benches outside a store, burying his face in his hands. He was confused as to why he couldn't take Satoshi back any more. _I love him, _he sobbed inwardly, _I really do. I still do! _His other voice started to speak, but Daisuke silenced it angrily. He didn't want to hear anything other than his thoughts, and that little voice of doubt was really starting to aggravate him. Worst of all, when he'd been kissing Satoshi, he'd thought-and wished-that it had been Dark doing the kissing. _What the hell is wrong with me? _Daisuke angrily thought to himself. _Satoshi's your husband! The one you promised to stay with till death do us part! You're not supposed to toss him over your shoulder for the first guy who shows you kindness! You're supposed to stick to him! Besides, he's sorry! Isn't that enough for you? _Daisuke silently berated himself, although this action only caused more tears of frustration and sadness to run down his face. Through his sobs, he didn't hear the sound of a twig snapping, or the muffled curse that followed swiftly after.

Dark walked through the area, knowing all too well where he was going. He knew that Daisuke would run straight to the park where he'd been found in the morning and to his relief, the redhead was there. Dark approached quietly, trying not to make too much noise so as to let Daisuke think that he was alone and therefore let out all his pain in the tears. Then he stepped on the twig and it snapped under his foot. Dark jumped at the noise and then muffled a curse, half-hoping that Daisuke would look up and see him. Fortunately, the redhead continued to sob and Dark's heart twisted slightly. He slowly walked towards his love and sat down on the bench quietly, pulling Daisuke up with him in order to hug him. "Shhh, it's all right," he whispered gently into Daisuke's ear. "Everything will be fine, there's no need to cry…" A pair of tear-reddened ruby eyes stared up into his and the pretty redhead buried his head into Dark's chest. Just then, Satoshi arrived on the scene followed shortly by Krad. Dark sucked in a sharp gasp of air as the detective's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell are you doing!" The sentence was shouted into the still night by Satoshi and Dark shut his eyes. The sh— was going to hit the fan tonight, and boy would it be messy.

"What does it look like I'm doing, idiot?" Normally, Dark would have been coldly polite to Satoshi seeing that he was Daisuke's husband, but at the moment he was just too annoyed to be bothered with protocol.

"You're hugging him." Satoshi's voice was flat, cold, lifeless. It scared Dark when he heard the way the blue-haired boy had said it. It sounded just like Krad, when they'd met for the first time, 300 years ago.

"So?" Dark really couldn't care less and he hugged Daisuke closer unconsciously.

"He's my husband."

"You didn't seem to think that way when you hurt him!" The sentence burst out of Dark and he glared silently at Satoshi. "You broke your promise to me by hurting him, and I think there has to be something about hurting your spouse in the marriage vows _and _in law!"

Satoshi looked hurt and Dark felt a thread of pity for the man. For a moment, he could almost see the sad, lonely child behind the icy exterior and his amethyst eyes softened. "Look, Satoshi, I'm sorry. It's just that…"

"It's all right." He was cut off curtly and Dark wondered for a split second just why he'd felt sorry for the detective.

"Fine, but you and I are having a little talk." Satoshi opened his mouth to say something, but Dark continued. "Tomorrow evening. 7:00pm sharp. My place." He'd be damned if he had to serve Satoshi dinner, too.

"I work until 2200, _thief._"

"Then leave early. I'm sure no one will mind too much." There was a hint of sarcasm in Dark's voice and Satoshi frowned slightly in the darkness. Then Daisuke spoke up, his voice calmer than it had been in Dark's house.

"Please…don't fight." Both men looked at the quiet redhead and nodded, if only for his sake. Satoshi's eyes glinted slightly under their glass lenses. Daisuke slowly nodded in acceptance and without thinking leaned quietly on Dark's shoulder, relying on the older boy for support. Jealousy reared its ugly green head but Satoshi suppressed it, promising that he would talk to Daisuke. As soon as they got to a more private place, that is.

"Come on," Satoshi heard himself saying. "Let's go home, Daisuke." To his surprise, the redhead trembled slightly but the detective reminded himself that his husband was probably still suffering from trauma. Behind him, he heard Krad shift slightly but chose to ignore it, thinking that there was nothing wrong with the mere action. Reluctantly, Daisuke left Dark and got up, heading towards Satoshi.

Dark felt the warmth leave his arms and shut his eyes, willing the prickly feeling that had suddenly cropped up to go away. He felt a warm tear slide down his face, but told himself firmly that it was just because his eyes were stinging so much. Without warning, the words slipped out of his mouth. "Perhaps you'd like to stay over? It can't be good to travel around at night, when there's no one on the streets." It was a slightly barbed remark aimed at Satoshi, but if the detective caught the inference he said nothing.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Dark, although I think Daisuke and I will be perfectly safe going home."

"I insist." Dark's eyes twinkled slightly now, a drastic change from their tiredness at the beginning of the meeting.

Daisuke looked around worriedly, half-hoping that Satoshi would just give in. For some reason, he didn't want to be separated from Dark again and he fervently hoped that for once Satoshi would see that some things needed to be sorted out. He looked at Satoshi under cover of the darkness that surrounded them, sensing the emotions running through his husband's heart.

Krad watched the scene playing out in front of him, detaching himself from everyone. He didn't need to know the three of them personally to tell that they were each going through their own personal conflicts. _It's not my place to probe, _he told himself firmly. _I have to help Satoshi. _

Finally, Dark managed to persuade Satoshi and Daisuke to stay over at his place for the night and without further ado, the four walked back to the apartment. Dark had even gone so far so as to extend his invitation to Krad, although how he was suppoed to put up with his archenemy for the night was something the thief had yet to think about. Unlike the blond, he hadn't actually received the honour of meeting the Guardian in person. He'd just been dozing in his empty prison when suddenly he found himself lying on hard concrete.

**Back in Dark's flat: **

The two hosts were now back together and were currently locked in the guest bedroom, sorting out 'some issues'. Dark idly looked at the door, wondering whether Daisuke was enjoying himself in there, ignoring the scandalized look on Krad's face as the blond picked up on his thoughts.

After 15 minutes of silence, Krad finally spoke. "Satoshi knows." Dark didn't bother looking at the other man.

"Does he now?" Dark didn't need to ask to know what Satoshi knew. "You told him, didn't you?" Silence. Dark frowned slightly, keeping his back turned to Krad.

"Yes." The monosyllabic answer made Dark raise an eyebrow and he turned to face the angel sitting behind him.

"Why?" The simple question word made Krad think carefully. He had to answer this with the correct choice of words, or else the thief would fly into an unreasonable fury; probably the same thing that had made them enemies in the first place.

"When you were freed…did you see or talk to another being?"

Dark snorted. "Uh…no?" he answered somewhat sarcastically. Krad blinked.

"So how did you get out then?"

"I don't bloody know, all I remember is that one moment I was floating in darkness and the next I found myself on my back, lying on concrete!"

Krad sighed. Not even a minute into the conversation and the thief was already getting agitated. This just would not do if he were to find anything out. Luckily, he was saved from having to take any further risks by Dark's bluntness.

"Look Krad, just answer the d--- question already! Why did you show Satoshi that picture? What did you hope to gain from it?" Krad sat there silently, mentally answering the questions. Somehow, none of the answers that he had thought of seemed to fit.

"My answers won't—"

"Just answer, d--- you!"

"I showed Satoshi that picture, because he has a right to see it. It _is _his husband you're toying around with, after all."

"And your gain?"

Krad sighed. "None. You see…" For the second time that day, he explained about the Guardian of Time and his words. Dark stared in shock, wondering just what type of person the Guardian was to change Krad's idea of how the world worked.

Dark smiled wryly after the story had ended. "I take it this means I can trust you then?"

Krad snorted, something very unlike him. "I highly doubt that, thief. Our clans will still be at war."

"Yeah well, there's always a way to remedy that…"

**Guest room: **

Daisuke sat on the bed looking at Satoshi, who was pacing around the room. "I told you…" he began wearily.

"Impulse." Satoshi interrupted calmly. "Impulse. And," he said, tone of voice changing drastically, "just _who _let Dark continue?"

Daisuke was silent. "Look Satoshi—"

"I don't want to hear any of it," Satoshi interrupted.

Daisuke flared up. Here he was, trying to sort things out with Satoshi, and the other man actually didn't want to listen! "Satoshi, listen to me. You—"

"I what? I raped you and left you as good as dead? I beat you up? I what, Daisuke? I what?"

"You didn't keep your promise!"

"Oh God, not you too! Dark's already bad enough, but you have to go on and harp about it as well!" Satoshi was about to continue his furious tirade when he caught the look on Daisuke's face. It was a look so foreign on the pretty redhead's face that the detective felt a shiver of horror creep up his spine. It was a look of pure rage.

"Satoshi." Daisuke's voice had dropped and was now colder than an ice-covered grave. "Listen. You made the choice to beat me up. You made the choice to continue drinking, even after you saw the effects. Even then, I was willing to forgive you—"

"Don't you bloody patronize me, Daisuke! You're the one who ran away and decided whilst _on leave_," the last two words were said with a sneer, "That you were a single man! You were the one who accepted that thief's kisses. He's stolen enough artwork from the Hikari to fill forty art museums, but is he happy? Oh no he's not! He has to go and steal a Hikari's love, too!" Breathless from this tirade, Satoshi glared at Daisuke.

"I wasn't aware that you wished for us to hear, too." The quarrelling pair looked up in surprise to see Dark and Krad standing in the doorway. The thief leaned casually against the doorframe, a cocky smile on his face. "Now, Master Hiwatari, why don't you fill Krad in on what's been going on? He doesn't seem to understand just _why _Daisuke left you. It really is a crucial thing to this whole little…drama…don't you think?"

Krad looked at Satoshi expectantly. "I'm waiting," he drawled. "And the story had better be worth it. Mousy has a nasty habit of exaggeration."

Satoshi took a deep breath and felt another pang of jealousy hit him as Daisuke stood up and walked to Dark, leaning slightly on the older one for support. However, he forced himself to concentrate on the moment. He told Krad the whole story in as few words as possible and looked up only when he had finished, not realizing that he had avoided the angel's gaze until the end of the story.

Krad stood silently, confused and shocked thoughts running through his head. True, he was a demented killer, but that was because he had to be. He would never be truly at peace until the Hikari treasures were safe from Dark's hands. Still…rape was not something he could accept. Something inside him was repulsed by an action so violent and so dirty. "Satoshi-sama…perhaps it would be best if we could discuss this somewhere privately." He shot a cold look at Dark and the thief rolled his eyes, but ushered Daisuke out anyway.

Satoshi shut his eyes and let his head drop down into his hands as Krad shut the door.

**Living Room: **

Dark raised an eyebrow at Daisuke. "Arguing again, Dai?" Daisuke felt a hot blush rise to his face, but ignored it.

"I-I don't know!" he finally burst out. "Every time we try to fix things, we just end up screaming at each other! It's happened before and I think it'll happen again! The worst part is, neither of us want it! We just…we just can't help it!" Dark stood still, intent on his former host. To the purple-haired man's surprise, Daisuke suddenly threw himself into his arms.

_Sh—Daisuke, what are you doing? _"What are you doing, Daisuke?" His voice came out harsher than intended.

Daisuke looked up at his best friend and now something more, and his blood-red eyes were glistening. "Dark…please. Make it go away," he begged, not sure of what he was asking for. "Make it go away, make it disappear please Dark, please make it go…" Still chanting his mantra, Daisuke clutched a fistful of Dark's shirt and tugged.

Dark slowly replied. "Daisuke, do you mean that?" The other man nodded tearfully, unable to withstand the pain coming at him from all sides. "There are consequences…" the darker one murmured. "It's not right…"

"F--- the consequences," Daisuke replied harshly. "The pain…it's too much."

Dark tried to tell himself that it was wrong to do this, that his love's husband was just in the next room, but somehow he felt himself leaning down slightly and catching Daisuke's lips in a kiss. The redhead threw himself into the kiss wholeheartedly, fiercely nibbling on Dark's lips. Dark could not hold back a moan as Daisuke's tongue slipped past and began to explore. He returned the action likewise and his hands slipped down to wrap around Daisuke's waist.

Daisuke shut his eyes tightly, only letting himself feel. He didn't want to think about Satoshi anymore, just this hot feeling. His hands scrabbled at Dark's back and came round to slip underneath the thief's shirt. His hands grazed over a hard stomach and settled lightly on the other man's chest, roaming the narrow chest. He pressed closer to Dark, deepening the kiss even further. Dark's hand moved further downwards and Daisuke broke away, gasping with the rough pleasure. The pair moved towards the sofa and fell down heavily upon the piece of furniture. Dark rolled, so that he was on top of Daisuke and continued his ministrations to the younger one. Daisuke was only able to moan over and over again as Dark stroked him through his jeans.

Daisuke reached up through the haze of pleasure clouding his mind and tugged at Dark's dress shirt, fumbling with the buttons. He heard the other man chuckle and suddenly the feeling of pleasure was abruptly gone. He looked up into twinkling amethyst eyes that were soon obscured by the fabric being pulled over them. However, as soon as the shirt was off Dark leaned back for another breathtaking kiss. It was in this position that Satoshi and Krad found the pair.

_I've been so  
Caught up in the thought of me and you  
Even though I love  
Someone else I know my heart belongs to you  
Tell me how did we  
Ever let the situation get this far  
Maybe we should just  
Try to hide the things we feel inside  
Things I know we can't deny_

_Should've never told you  
That I cared about you  
Didn't think that it would be, so bad  
Should've never kissed you  
Should've never held your hand_

_Got to find a way to let these feelings go  
What did I  
Do the day I let you slip into my soul  
It was then, when I  
Realized that I would always want you in my life  
No one else can know  
Of the things that we've been saying on the telephone  
It would be so bad  
If they ever knew that me and you  
Were secretly into each other_

_I'm so scared, trembling inside  
'Cause I'm feeling like somebody else already knows  
Oh my God, I love you both so much  
And to have to choose between the two  
Is hurting me so deep inside _

_Should've never told you That I cared about you  
Never thought that it would be, so bad, hum  
Should've never kissed you  
Should've never held your hand  
I don't ever want to feel this way again_

_**-Should've Never, Jennifer Lopez**_

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Cliffhanger! I just had to put the smut scene in (blushes) and if you want I suppose I could put a lemon in. Although, you'd have to give me an email because I fear that wouldn't accept me otherwise. Anyhow, reviews are craved and needed, please please please review! I'm flying tomorrow, so don't expect anything for a while. Also, thank you for all the support that you've given me so far, I really do appreciate it. Thanks for the support and more reviews please! 


	5. Truce

**Chapter Five: Truce!**

Disclaimer: DN Angel not mine. If you think that it's mine, you have another think coming.

A/N: I'm back from Canada, so hopefully things will start to pick up from here. However, school starts in five days and since exams are coming up…yeah. But I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter just as much as the others, and thanks for all the support.

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Silence filled the room. Satoshi shut his eyes and turned his back on Daisuke and Dark, unable to look at either one of them. Inside, his heart was shattering into a thousand pieces but his face remained as expressionless as rock. "Krad, we're leaving." He walked to the door without so much as a glance at either Dark or Daisuke. "Thank you for your offer of a stay, Dark, but I think Krad and I have overstayed our welcome." Without another word, he opened the door and let himself out of the apartment.

Krad looked reproachfully at Dark and Daisuke, his golden eyes flat and cold. "You really couldn't stop yourselves, could you?" he snarled at the guilty pair before gliding out the door after his tamer.

Dark looked out the door and sighed, getting up and looking for his shirt. Daisuke sat on the couch, the full ramifications of what he had just done crashing down on him. Slowly, he got up and without thinking about what he was doing, he headed out the door with only a foggy notion of apologizing to Satoshi and trying to fix things. The thief however caught his arm and shook his head, indicating that he should probably let Satoshi cool off a little first. The redhead stood for a moment before sighing and sitting down on the sofa, burying his face in his hands. "Why?" he sighed out, not really directing the question at anyone in particular. _Yeah, _he repeated the question to himself silently, _why? Why did I cheat on Satoshi when I knew that what he did was just because of the alcohol? And just why did I cheat on him with _Dark, _of all people? _It was true that he had once harboured feelings for the thief, but that had just been a childhood crush, nothing more. Now, though…Daisuke wasn't quite sure what to think any more. On one hand, he loved Satoshi still, even if he hadn't been showing it. On the other hand, he didn't want to leave Dark; losing the kaitou once had been bad enough.

Dark looked at Daisuke, amethyst eyes filled with pity. He knew that he shouldn't have given in to Daisuke's request but something inside him had just snapped and he'd found himself kissing Daisuke. Then, of course, the detective had walked in. All right, so he hadn't actually meant to kiss Daisuke or anything of the sort, but it had still happened. Dark sighed and turned around to face the redhead. "Come on, Daisuke," he told the younger man kindly. "Let's go to bed." Daisuke's head jerked up and the man slowly nodded. Dark smiled slightly. "I'll show you the guest room."

Daisuke stared numbly at the ceiling, red eyes wide open in the darkness. Sighing to himself for what seemed like the umpteenth time, he mulled over events. He knew that his relationship with Satoshi was close to becoming non-existent after that incident with Dark. _Yeah well, _he thought slightly rebelliously, _if he hadn't beaten the living shyte out of me, I would have never run away in the first place! _Of course, that thought was soon quashed by the memory of the purple-haired man and his…advances. Well, all right, so Daisuke had encouraged him a little and even begged for more. Still though…_well, _Daisuke thought to himself, _I owe Satoshi an apology at least. _He remembered the way Satoshi sounded when he'd decided to leave. His detective's voice had been cold and lifeless, just like the way it had been before Daisuke had managed to draw him out of his shell a little. That voice had scared him. With a determined look at the ceiling, Daisuke promised himself that he would apologise to Satoshi and do everything in his power to mend their broken marriage. With that thought in his mind, the redhead fell into a restless slumber.

Dark lay in his bed, his eyes glazed over. He wanted Daisuke so badly for himself, yet he knew that the redhead belonged to someone else. He knew that he shouldn't be playing with his love's feelings if he really did love him, but at the same time he couldn't keep himself from doing so. As for Krad…he sensed that the blond genuinely wanted to help, even if he didn't show anything. He could hear the ring of truth in Krad's voice when he told him that he didn't expect any benefits out of helping Satoshi. Dark knew that it was wrong to want another's property-especially another man's love-but he couldn't help it. All his life he'd been a thief, taking others' possessions. _Isn't that so, _he thought mockingly. _Isn't that just peachy? _Dark tossed in bed, unable to get his thoughts to stop.

**Satoshi and Krad: **

Satoshi lay awake in bed, his heart aching painfully. _Why? _He thought. _Why? Why are we, the Hikari, destined to lose what we value most for eternity? _He couldn't sleep because every time he shut his eyes, the image of Dark and Daisuke together would appear, searing into his mind's eye and refusing to disappear. The blue-eyed man shut his eyes as he felt an all too familiar prickly wetness in his eyes. _I won't cry, _he told himself. _I haven't cried since I was seven, and I'm not going to start now. _He shifted, his heart aching more than ever. _That damn thief, _he thought angrily. _Isn't it enough that he's stolen much of the Hikari artworks? Isn't it enough? Isn't it? _Satoshi shut his eyes, willing himself to sleep, but the image of Daisuke and Dark together remained present as though it had been branded into his mind and on the insides of his eyelids. He felt hot tears make their way down his face and angrily dashed the water droplets away, his eyes filled with pain. The azure orbs settled on Krad and Satoshi was forced to smile ironically as he realized that now, he and Krad were actually on the same side. _How ironic. _

Krad did not need to sleep, the reason being that he'd slept enough for four lifetimes whilst sealed away. His golden eyes rested on his tamer, shuddering with the pain flowing through him. Not being able to bear seeing Satoshi in any type of pain for long, Krad rose from his chair and glided over to the bed, gently sitting on it next to Satoshi's body. "Satoshi-sama," he whispered softly. He reached out to stroke the man's hair gently, making soothing noises as he did so. "It's all right, everything will be fine…" Seeing that this was of no avail, the blond angel gently pulled Satoshi's upper half up from the bed and hugged him like a father would do to a small child. "Don't worry, everything will turn out fine," he cooed softly. Satoshi continued to shudder, trying to suppress the sobs threatening to come out.

"It's not going to be fine," the blue-haired detective sobbed. "It's not!"

Krad sighed and gently pressed his other half's body closer. "It will be." He sat for a moment in silence and then added, "Daisuke did not know what he was doing, it was his pain driving him." No response from the Hikari. Krad sighed. "Satoshi-sama, pain causes us to do things that we would never normally do."

"Krad, it's not that! It's that…it's that Daisuke was enjoying it! He was enjoying what that…that _thief_ did to him!"

"I don't deny that, but I think it was because he was trying to forget. Have you forgotten what you did when you were hurting?"

Of course. Satoshi bitterly remembered that he had turned to drink and started taking out all his frustration on Daisuke, which was what had caused this whole mess in the first place. "Come now, Satoshi-sama," coaxed Krad, "I am not trying to make you relive old memories, but you must remember, for both his sake and yours. If you are to sort this mess out, you will each have to forgive the other. That is what a relationship is, is it not? A mutual give-and-take. That is the whole meaning of a relationship. Love is something that must be given freely, true, but for it to bind a relationship it must be strengthened by both parties. Do you understand?" _God, _Krad thought, _I sound like some worthless two-bit marriage counsellor or something. _He suppressed a wry smile, knowing that Satoshi would probably have a heart attack if he saw the look on his face at the moment. Just then, the detective chose to look up.

"Krad?" The angel looked at his charge and smiled slightly, nodding in response to the younger one's silent question.

"What makes you so confident?" Satoshi wondered just why Krad was suddenly so optimistic-it had never been in the blond's nature to act so.

"I think…I think Daisuke's thinking now. Well, Dark is at least. So if your…husband…tries anything…inappropriate…he won't be supported wholeheartedly. Of course, knowing the thief, he'll probably give in anyway. Gods know how strong-willed he is."

Satoshi pondered the answer silently, and then looked at Krad. "Yeah, but do you think Daisuke will actually try again?" It hurt him to say the words, but he forced himself to ask the question as coldly as possible.

Krad shrugged and the blue-haired detective felt the angel shift. "Who knows?" Satoshi wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he knew that Krad probably didn't know any better than he did.

"What made you change? You would have molested me by now, when I was younger." Satoshi smiled wryly, thinking to himself, _That makes me seem like I've aged. _

Krad blinked, caught off-guard by the question. "I'm sorry?" He pretended not to have heard the question in order to buy time; something that he hadn't done for a long time.

"You heard me."

Krad hesitated. "I don't know," he said finally. "The words of the Essence (1) made me think, and the way he said them just seemed to persuade me." He knew that it was the wishy-washiest speech that he had ever made, but it just sounded right. Satoshi knew what he meant, though, and that was all that mattered. The blue-eyed man nodded silently and then relaxed into Krad's hug, arms wrapping around the other man.

"Thanks," Satoshi whispered. Krad nodded, enjoying what might turn out to be the last time he would ever hold his tamer.

**Wednesday morning: **

Daisuke rolled over to the other side of the bed, groping around for the clock on the nightstand. Frowning in the darkness, he pressed the 'Glow' button and the screen lit up. The numbers flashed out at him: 9:28am. Daisuke blinked for a while and then carefully pushed one of the curtains back to look out of the window. The sky was completely dark and raindrops sat on the window, dripping occasionally. Daisuke sighed and slowly rolled out of bed, looking around for the clothes that he'd worn the previous day. Finding his clothes, he quickly changed and made the bed-a habit picked up in university. He walked downstairs and grabbing a pen from the bunch near the phone, he hastily scribbled a note to Dark and left.

**Satoshi: **

Satoshi woke up to find himself still resting lightly on Krad. He felt an immediate stab of guilt when he realized that he was leaning on Krad almost affectionately. At first, he was angry as he remembered how Daisuke betrayed him, but at the same time he knew that it had been the pain speaking. Just like Krad said. He sighed and waited for his blood pressure to return to 'normal', enjoying the warmth around him. He had just recovered from his foggy state when a knock sounded at the door. With a groan, Satoshi tried to heave himself up but couldn't, due to Krad's arms around him.

"Krad," the detective whispered softly. "Krad!" The blond man jerked upwards, wide-awake. Satoshi nodded in the general direction of the door. Krad hastily disentangled himself from his love's body and quickly stood up, brushing his clothes off and trying to smooth out some of the newly acquired wrinkles. Satoshi, on the other hand, walked to the door dressed only in his nightclothes.

"Yes?" Satoshi struggled to remain calm at the sight of Daisuke; part of him wanted to shout at the other man for cheating on him with Dark and yet the other part of him wanted to just lean forward and hug the redhead.

"Ah…" Daisuke shuffled a little; a habit he had never entirely managed to get rid of. "Sato…" Satoshi felt like bursting into tears at the sound of his familiar nickname. "I'm sorry." Daisuke paused a moment before continuing with obvious effort. "I'm sorry for everything that I've done to hurt you, and I understand if you want to file for a divorce." He smiled weakly and Satoshi felt tears well up in his eyes. "I…I guess we weren't meant for this kind of thing. But I'm sorry, Satoshi. I'm so sorry." Daisuke bowed his head now, unable to look at his husband's face.

Satoshi slowly reached a hand out to cup Daisuke's chin, forcing the shorter one to look him in the eye. "Daisuke," he said firmly, "why don't you come in, and then we can talk this over."

Inside the house, Daisuke looked around. He looked at the sofa, remembering how he had just been sitting there one night and Satoshi had stumbled in, blinded by alcohol and suffering. He slowly seated himself next to Satoshi, not knowing what the man would say. Krad had mercifully made himself absent, giving the two their space. "Sato…"

"Hush." Daisuke made another effort to speak, but was stopped by Satoshi's hand on his mouth. "Just listen to what I have to say, please." Satoshi made sure that Daisuke understood him, and then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for all the times I came home late, drunk or both. I'm sorry for all the times I've beaten you up. I'm sorry for being unable to listen to your side of the story, and I'm sorry for all the times that I've ever given you cause to doubt my love. I…" Satoshi stopped to breathe deeply. "I don't want to divorce. I want…I want to try again." Satoshi looked at Daisuke's face, trying to find any sign of emotion, trying desperately to find something on which to cling to. To his relief and gratitude, Daisuke slowly smiled and leaned forward to kiss Satoshi. Each let his relief and love pour into the gesture, keeping the kiss chaste.

Slowly the two pulled apart, each of them almost overwhelmed by the feeling of relief and love coursing through them. Daisuke slowly looked at Satoshi and leaned forward again, needing the physical contact more than anything else. Daisuke shut his eyes and rested his head lightly on Satoshi's shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being whole again. He felt lighter, easier and more whole than for the last few days. Although Dark had somewhat erased the feeling of missing Satoshi, his love for the persistent detective hadn't been completely replaced by the art thief. Slowly, he opened his mouth and began to explain to Satoshi the events that had transpired between him and Dark since he had run out of the house that night. This time, there were discussions; an exchange of ideas as opposed to arguments. Inevitably, the conversation turned to Dark and Krad. The two talked late into the night, discussing possible outcomes for the two magical beings' fates.

**Dark: **

Dark groaned and threw a hand over his eyes, trying to shield them from the light that was coming in through the doorway of his room. Seeing that the source of irritation would not leave any time soon, he groggily sat up in bed. Sleep-fogged purple eyes met gold and Dark immediately shot awake. "Krad!" He groped around on the night table, blindly searching for something to throw. He grasped something long and firm and threw it at the angel. The lamp sailed gracefully through the air and Krad just as gracefully reached out to catch it, saving the hapless object from further damage.

"You shouldn't do that again," Krad commented idly as he checked the lamp for scratches. He walked over to the night table and replaced the light in its rightful place, next to the kaitou's head. Much to the violet-haired man's dismay, the blond seated himself in the black desk chair-_his _black desk chair-and seemed to be quite comfortable there. Dark hastily pulled the sheets around himself more tightly, trying not to let Krad see that he wasn't wearing very much.

"What do you want?" Purple eyes glared at golden orbs. "Don't you have people's lives to ruin?"

"Why ruin others', when I can ruin yours?" Krad smiled innocently enough and it was enough to make Dark shiver. He didn't like the way Krad had smiled, simply because it was unknown territory. He didn't the guy had smiled since he was born. Sure, there was the psycho smile he wore just before wreaking havoc and (usually) trying to kill him but that didn't really count, because he was used to seeing it. Dark cautiously sat up in bed, senses alert and hoping that Krad decided not to throw something at him. He didn't like being confronted in his own house, especially when he was still lying in bed and not wearing very much. He sighed again and decided to get dressed.

"Get out," Dark groaned as he huddled under the sheets.

"Why?" To the thief's chagrin and dismay, Krad crossed over to the small bureau and examined the CD case holder, raising an elegant eyebrow as he did so. "I hear GreenDay is rather popular nowadays," he nonchalantly commented. Dark shifted to face Krad, his eyes glaring.

"Krad, as sexy and alluring as I am, I don't think you would like to be around examining my CDs whilst I change." Dark prayed fervently that Krad would act normally and just disappear from the room automatically. To his dismay, the other man didn't leave. However, he did snort in derision at the thief's words.

"I don't wish to be blinded by you, Mousy. Why do you think I'm looking at the music you have? You can prance around in here naked if you wish, but don't expect me to join in." Dark's eyes widened at the words. _What the hell? _

"Well now, who pulled the stick outta _your _ass?" the thief asked casually. He was surprised at Krad's seemingly indifferent attitude and then he wondered why the man was even here.

Dark contemplated the many ways he could get into the bathroom to change without having Krad looking at him, because now he really wanted to cross-examine his former archenemy and that simply could not be done when one was lying half-naked in bed. He slowly sat up in bed and yanked the tangled sheets around himself into a sort of makeshift toga. With as much dignity as he could muster, Dark marched to the bathroom wrapped in the blanket and trying to ignore the soft snickers from Krad. Luckily for the thief, he always hung up his next day's clothes in the bathroom, ready for him to wear once he finished showering.

Fifteen minutes later, Dark walked out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam and damp warmth, now wide awake. He walked into the living area carefully, just in case Krad decided to throw something at him from around the corner. It was exactly the type of thing he would do, Dark reflected dryly. To his surprise, he found his antagonist standing by the large window, leaning lightly on the glass. His back was turned to the thief, but Dark could see from the reflection that the man was thinking. Outside, the sun was halfway up in the sky, casting rays of light across the whole city. Dark yawned and decided to prepare breakfast. "Oi, bastard, you want breakfast?"

Krad let the insult slip but heard the rest of Dark's question. Before, he never had to eat to sustain himself because his host performed the 'task' of chewing the food and then swallowing it. Krad had not really tasted food since he'd been sealed up three hundred years ago. As a result, the first thing he had done upon his return to the 'human world' had been to go to the nearest restaurant and order some food. To his dismay, he didn't have very much idea of what the food was like nowadays, considering how frugally most of the Hikari ate. He finally shut his eyes and pointed, ending up with a _steak au poivre et des pommes frites _(pepper steak with French fries), which turned out to be remarkably good. He'd finished the entire plate of food, savouring each bite and the rich flavours that bombarded his senses, golden eyes closed in bliss and almost purring like a cat. As a result, one of his favourite pastimes was to eat and savour the feeling of food going down his throat.

"Of course…baka." Krad blinked as the words slipped out of his mouth naturally and easily, and he almost winced as he realized that they sounded like some kind of...of married couple! He cringed at the thought and then shot a glance at Dark, only to meet amethyst eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I can see inside your head…" Dark sang as he leaned closer to Krad. Krad leaned away and gave the thief a look withering enough to make the Devil himself whimper. Dark, to his credit, did not flinch but merely backed off. An evil thought came into Krad's head and he decided to act upon the impulse. Being around humans had changed him quite a bit and without warning, he poked at Dark's chin, causing the thief to look down. To his delight, the purple-haired boy did just that and Krad quickly flicked his hand upwards, successfully whacking Dark in the nose. He smirked at the sore thief and sauntered off casually to the kitchen.

_Whoa…that's scary, _occupied the main part of Dark's thoughts as he hurried after Krad to stop the psychotic man from burning his kitchen down. To his surprise, he found Krad carefully leaning over the frying pan, his eyes wide like a child's.

**Satoshi and Daisuke: **

Daisuke leaned back with a soft sigh, smiling. He reveled in the familiar warmth of Satoshi around him and shut his eyes in bliss. Satoshi, on the other hand, ran his fingers through the red locks and marveled at the beauty of Daisuke. He was amazed by the way the other man seemed to look so ethereal when in bliss and resolved to keep that expression on Daisuke's face. He allowed himself a trip down memory lane and smiled when he remember how awkward it had been for both of them to confess to each other. He had Takeshi to thank for the incentive to do that, and the detective winced as he remembered just how much alcohol he had consumed in that one night. This brought him back to the more recent alcohol-related incidents and he shook his head to clear it of the thought.

"Sato?" Daisuke spoke drowsily.

"Hmm?"

"Where's Krad? He's usually around you."

"I don't know," Satoshi replied. "He left before our little talk started, I think."

Daisuke was silent for a while. Then, "Wonder if he went to Dark?" The two stared at each other and then burst out laughing at the mere thought of such a thing ever happening. Macbeth would probably be called a comedy before Krad would ever go within a ten-mile radius of the area. Satoshi could just imagine the scene-Krad throwing random objects at Dark whilst the thief dodged around making inappropriate comments. There was suddenly a ring of the doorbell and Dark's voice sounded way too cheerful, even through the thick wooden door.

"Lovebirds, are you done in there yet? Are you decent?" Daisuke winced and flushed at the comment, wondering just how Dark could ask that kind of question whilst in broad daylight, standing outside their door. Mrs. Smith would certainly have a good chuckle to herself behind those lacy white curtains that were forever drawn.

Satoshi slowly pushed Daisuke off his shoulder and with a reluctant moan shuffled towards the door. An evil thought blossomed in his mind and he decided to get back at Dark for that remark. Leaning close to the door, he gave a particularly load moan. "Oh…uh…ah…" This time, a knock sounded at the door and Satoshi hastily put a finger to his lips, warning Daisuke not to say anything. The blue-haired detective continued to moan and with an evil smirk at Daisuke, he began to gently bump against the door. "Ah…yeah…" he gasped. "Right there…ah…oh!" Daisuke noticed that the person on the other side of the door was now completely silent and could only watch in shock as Satoshi continued to make noises and thump against the door.

**Dark and Krad: **

Dark jerked back from the door as though he'd been burned after hearing the noises made by Satoshi. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Krad, a silent question hovering in his eyes. Then a devilish glint shone in his eyes and the thief leaned in closer again. Two could play at that game. He offhandedly remarked to Krad, "Don't you think that scene's hot?"

The thumping stopped and was shortly followed by a shriek from Daisuke. The door was immediately flung open and Dark laughed when he saw the mortified look upon both men's faces. Krad, on the other hand, looked highly disapproving and frowned at the madly cackling thief. "Don't pull me into this, you idiot."

"Oh, but you _loved _it! Don't deny it; I know you did…" Dark smiled sweetly at the other man, irritating him more.

"Shut it," Krad retorted. "Now, why did we come here?"

"Because…ah! There you are!" Dark rushed past Satoshi and swept Daisuke up in a hug. "Geez, do you know how worried I was about you this morning? I was looking all over for you!" Krad rolled his eyes as Daisuke slowly began to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

"Don't mind him," Krad told Daisuke calmly. "He didn't give a crap about you. He was too busy throwing things at me." Daisuke didn't bother replying; he was too busy fighting for breath.

"Let go of him, Dark. You're killing him." Satoshi's voice sounded cool and commanding, although there was a hint of something else underneath, something like fear and warning. Dark heard this and released Daisuke, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Don't worry, Commander! I won't try anything again, I promise!" Dark saluted Satoshi mockingly, purple eyes glinting mischievously. Satoshi sighed and Krad calmly thumped Dark, his golden eyes holding a shadow of sympathy for his Tamer.

"Dark, behave!" Daisuke scolded. "He means it!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" The thief waved off the scolding and then looked around as though seeing the apartment properly for the first time. "Nice place," he commented.

"We try," Satoshi dryly returned. Then Daisuke, who had been quiet all through this time, gently interrupted.

"Dark, why are you here then?"

"Well, you see, Kraddie-kins here—"

"Shut up thief—"

"—ate me out of house and home, so here we are!"

Both younger men stared in shock at the angel. He didn't look as though he was capable of eating _Dark _out of house and home. Satoshi blinked, especially surprised because he'd lived with Krad for so long. Krad rolled his eyes calmly, despite the fact that he felt just a little bit…well…_guilty _for eating so much.

"Well," Daisuke finally said, "at least he appreciates your cooking skills, Dark."

Dark's eyes widened comically and made a few choking noises. Daisuke continued, blissfully unaware of the amethyst-eyed man. Suddenly, a loud banging sounded from the other side of the door (which Satoshi had closed after recovering from the shock of Krad's being able to eat large quantities of food). Frowning, Daisuke walked over to the door, followed by Satoshi. "Who's there?" the gentle redhead questioned. The banging continued. Suddenly, the door was flung open and Takeshi rushed in, his dark eyes ablaze. They ignored Dark and Krad, and came to rest on Daisuke.

"Daisuke! Kenji called and told me to come home quickly, but they'd only let me come back today! I'm so sorry about what happened, are you—" He stopped upon seeing Satoshi.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he snarled. "I heard what you did. You son of a—" This expletive was mercifully left uncompleted as Daisuke stepped forward and laid a hand on the distraught photographer's arm.

"Don't worry about it," he said calmly. "We sorted things out."

Silence. Takeshi relaxed visibly, but his eyes still rested on Satoshi's. The detective looked back calmly, although there was still a hint of guilt in his eyes. The reporter now sighed and slowly moved Daisuke's hand off his arm. Then he turned to face the redhead, his expression serious. "Fine," he said after what seemed like an eternity. "But," his expression hardened, "you have to promise to tell me if anything like that happens again." With those words, he left just as quickly as he'd arrived.

Daisuke stood still, eyes wide. It was Dark who brought him back down to earth with an audible thump. "Looks like you'll always have someone looking out for you, eh Daisuke?" He smiled ruefully, considering whether to tell Daisuke just what he'd realized about Takeshi. With a quick shrug of the thief's shoulders, the thought was off his mind. It wasn't as though the reporter would keep his promise; he'd already proved that when he and Daisuke had been fourteen, all those years ago.

It was Satoshi who finally made a comment. "I promise that I will never give you cause to run again. I promise." He looked solemnly at Daisuke, blue eyes deep and serious. Daisuke nodded, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Aw," Dark sarcastically remarked. "Now that you've finished, can we have our breakfast please? That would be wonderful." At this comment, everyone laughed and the mood was lightened.

**At the café: **

Everyone stared at Krad in total shock. The blond man had gone through three plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon and fried potato thanks to the restaurant's buffet. Dark himself had only polished off two plates before calling it quits, Satoshi and Daisuke quite content to have only one. Dark finally mustered up the courage and whispered, "Krad…how can you eat that much?"

The blond man stared at him as though the answer to the question was so blatantly obvious. "I'm actually enjoying the ability to eat, Mousy. It would help if you didn't interrupt." With this curt reply, he continued to enjoy his food. Daisuke suddenly realized why, and then laughed.

"The answer is obvious, Dark, I've just realized that." Daisuke continued to laugh softly, whilst Satoshi and Dark looked at him as though he'd completely lost his mind. "It's because he hasn't eaten anything like normal food since the invention of dried instant foods!" Stunned silence. "Oh, don't you get it?" Daisuke impatiently asked, "It's because the Hikari live so frugally! They never eat properly, and they're always living off bread and instant noodles!"

"What are you implying, Dai?" Satoshi asked briskly.

"I'm implying that you never ate anything cooked and that's why Krad's enjoying himself so much!"

"Why you…" Without further ado, Satoshi pulled a stack of bills out of his pocket and slapped them on the table. "That's our half of the meal, you pay the other half. See you sometime." He scooped the tiny redhead up in his arms and carried him out of the restaurant bridal-style, ignoring the stares that he garnered. Right now, both men were glad that they had finally resolved the conflict between them.

**Café: **

Dark and Krad watched their tamers leave, both inwardly smiling. Both sneaked glances at the other, wondering. _If they can do it, why can't we? _Krad paused in his eating and without any words, extended his right hand towards Dark. The thief looked at it a little warily and then slowly took it. The pair shook hands over the table and then returned to their former positions i.e. eating and daydreaming. No words were needed-despite their long history of hatred, it was clear that a new bond was being forged whilst the old one was slowly cracking and shattering.

**The End**

* * *

Ah, I'm done. I really did expect that this story would be a bit longer, you know, but I guess things just didn't work out that way. I put Takeshi in, just to show that he still cares for Daisuke (you can guess Dark's realization yourselves) and because I wanted to show that people other than Dark, Satoshi (and Krad?) care somewhat for our dear little Dai-chan (lmao). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story. I deliberately left an open ending because I think that this story deserves a last bit of ambiguity just to round things off. Will Dark and Krad eventually resolve their conflict? Perhaps. Will Daisuke and Satoshi learn anything from this experience? Definitely. Thank you to everyone for all the reviews that I have received, and more of these lovely things would be appreciated. Thanks for all your support, and review please! 


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